


Nested

by ktwinchesterhale



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Blackmail, Bookstores, Cloaca, Creature Fic, Draco Malfoy Has Long Hair, Draco baby Yoda's a frog, Draco eats gross things, Draco is basically a bird, Egg Laying, Gore, Graphic Violence, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Infidelity, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mpreg, Past Rape/Non-con, Veela Draco Malfoy, graphic egg laying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22098331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktwinchesterhale/pseuds/ktwinchesterhale
Summary: Draco is a Veela and he desperately is searching for a wizard powerful enough to trigger him to create an egg. He thinks he's found that in Auror Potter.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 43
Kudos: 383





	1. 1999-2005

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know... like I really don't know. Draco is very creature-e in this.

Draco would never tell anyone how he got off of serving a sentence at Azkaban. Actually, he would have happily told people had the St. Potter not barged in at the last minute to offer character tribute.

Draco had huffed and ruffled his feathers. Really, Potter couldn’t have come before he’d let the magistrate put his cock inside him. But no, there was Potter, swearing in front of everyone that he was only able to defeat ‘Volde-baldy’ due to Draco tossing him his wand last minute.

Draco gritted his teeth as he felt the stupid grinning official’s cum slid down the back of his thighs. Now it wouldn’t at all look like Draco had bribed the man, but that Potter had convinced the man. And to make matters worse that horrid Profit reporter was scribbling away. No doubt that the article would make and his humiliation would go to print.

The sentence was passed, thirty days to clear the manor before the rest was seized and sold by the government to cover court costs, only the family-owned shops and businesses in Diagon Alley and France (outside of the Ministry’s jurisdiction) would be exempt. That was all well and good enough for Draco, he hadn’t been able to walk into the place since the end of the war too many bad memories.

His family only had two shops after the first war, the Malfoy Apothecary and the Rare Tome Emporium. Both of which had large apartments stretching over the upper floors; they would be more than enough for him and his mother.

Four Years Later

The week had been slow. Not a single customer had walked in since Monday. Normal Draco would enjoy these times, but over the course of a week, it had made life incredibly dull. Not to mention, he was swelling and completely exhausted.

Draco had been trying with every wizard that had a hint of power for the last two years for one of his eggs to be fertilized. But alas despite sleeping with countless men at the end of every cycle the elusive egg would dissolve away. A hatchling’s eggshells would fetch a fine amount of coin for him and his mother.

He wasn’t exactly doing bad for himself, not since he also started charging the men he slept with. But his mother had only ever successfully laid one egg, and he could see the stress it was causing her that he was undergoing the same predicament. He wanted an egg, he knew it might be impossible due to the potions he took to keep from forming one in the presence of the Dark Lord.

Draco sat reading the Profit. The Potter-Weasley wedding was all anyone was talking about, who had a ticket who didn’t, what the color scheme would be. Draco could care less all he wanted to know was the latest name of former death eaters that the groom to be had put away or killed on the third page.

Draco had actually become so bored by the end of the afternoon he started to read the stupid wedding article. Just as he got to the catering, the doorbells chimed. He threw the paper down in disgust lest someone saw what trash he was reading. Draco stood to help the customer only then did he notice the lime-green robes of an Auror.

It didn’t take him nearly as long to recognize the mop of dark curls. Draco stretched his wings careful not to knock over the stacks of books on his counter.

“If it isn’t the groom of the wedding of the century. To what do I owe the pleasure, I would ask if you’re interested in getting the Weaselette a special book for a present, but she doesn’t seem the type. Perhaps if you’d decided on Granger.”

Despite Potter not being Veela, the fact that Draco was ruffling his feathers was plain to see. “Stuff if Malfoy, I do have other business outside of my personal. I’m here about the Flint murder.”

“Oh, and what rare piece of information could you possibly be looking for?” Draco could feel the power radiating off of Potter. If anyone could get an egg fertilized it was him.

“I’m not looking for a book. I have Royer Rowe in custody for the murder, but he says he didn’t do it and that he was here for four hours that day. So I figure most people don’t spend that much time in your company and that you’d remember him being here.”

Ah yes, Draco remembered Rowe, “Rowe, was here about a week ago, it took him two hours milling about my shop to work up the courage to ask about what he really wanted to see.”

“Show me, what you showed him.” Potter narrowed his eyes.

Draco smirked. He took out his wand and waved it at the open sign a gust of wind spun the sign around three times before the word open was facing the two men. “Follow me.”

Potter followed him threw the stacks as Draco picked at the lacing of his robes. He wasn’t sure how to play this, Potter was immune to the Imperious curse, so Veela magic might be nothing for him to sense and throw off. The blond pulled a key from his robes and lead Potter upstairs to his nest. For all his Auror training, the man was still oblivious, and it took him a second to even realize he was in Draco’s nest. No, Potter got by with raw magical power- power that was making Draco practically salivate. 

“You showed him your nest. Why?” He blinked.

Draco’s smirk grew into a grin and he finished undoing his robes and let them fall behind him. “It wasn’t exactly me nest he was interested in seeing.”

The Veela also stopped holding in his aura, he let it hit the Savior.

Draco could tell it did have some effect on him. He sat down on the bed and laid back spreading his legs wide enough to give the young Auror a grand view of his cloaca slit.

“Er… so you engaged er…in sexual intercourse with Mr. Rowes that day?”

Draco reached down and started stroking himself. Potter’s eyes didn’t leave his crotch. “I did. He came disappointingly quick.”

“Er… do you… have sex with a lot of men?”

Draco hit Potter with the full force of his aura. “It’s not illegal for Veela’s to engage in prostitution.”

Potter tugged on his hair and licked his lips. “How… how much did you charge him?”

“Fifty galleons.” Draco watched Potter unconsciously squeeze his coin purse. He laid back and arched his hips off the bed. “But I’d be willing to give the Savior of the Wizarding World a discount.”

Draco couldn’t see it but he could hear the removal of robes. “How much of a discount?”

Draco grinned and stretched out his wings. “Depends on if you make me cum first or not.”

Before Draco could say anything else Potter had grabbed his thighs and pressed his face into Draco’s slit. He kissed and licked as Draco’s cock started to elongate from the slit. Potter took the head into his mouth and began to suck him off before sliding his mouth down the shaft and kissing at Draco’s opening.

The Veela was surprised at the pleasure and his wings began to have small uncontrollable flutters. Draco buried his hands in those black curls and pulled probably harder than he should. Potter didn’t seem to mind, even when Draco forced his mouth back onto his cock. He swallowed it down enthusiastically taking Draco all the way to the root.

The blond knew his orgasm was close when Potter gagged on his cock hitting the back of his throat but continued to fuck Draco’s hole with his tongue on the underside of his cock.

“I’m gonna cum!” Draco yelped he held the other man in place by his hair. But Potter didn’t even try to move back instead he just swallowed down Draco’s seed.

Draco sighed in contentment as Potter continued to swallow around him. Veela seed was considered a powerful fertility drug. Perhaps, Potter could fertilize his egg.

Draco settled in as Potter rose from the floor and climbed between his legs. He moaned as the Auror entered him. Potter pulled off his glasses and put them on to the side of Draco’s messy nest. Draco could see his creature magic swirling in Potter’s eyes. Oh if Potter realized he’d used such magic on him Draco would be going to Azkaban for sure. But right now all Draco cared about was that he could feel Potter sliding into his oviduct. Potter lacked finesse, but as for everything he made up for it with raw power. Power that Draco was sure would leave him walking funny afterward.

Potter started kissing his neck and whispering his name. His first name. “Draco, Draco” Potter was practically chanting it into his ear. “My love.”

Now that surprised Draco enough that he opened his eyes. ‘Shit. Maybe he shouldn’t have used the aura. But if he stopped now would Potter finish before he regained his senses. He would stop it as soon as Potter spilled.’

Draco decided to help him along. He let his talons form and dig into Potter’s back. The toxin took an even more dramatic hold on Potter.

He didn’t think he could but Potter started thrusting even harder and pleading even more desperate things in his ear. “I love you. I’ll give you anything, Draco, my love, my life.”

It was supposed to release pleasure not make the attraction worse. Draco had heard all these things before from lesser men, but somehow coming from one of the most powerful wizards on the planet it was intoxicating.

“Please, Draco, I’ll leave her, I never wanted her, only you Draco, please. Please be mine.”

Something in Draco’s chest tightened. He wanted that, he wanted someone who could give him eggs and satisfy him. But he knew he couldn’t have the Savior, no be belonged to someone else. Draco needed him to finish before his magic really did mess with the savior's mind. He moved his hands from his back to Potter’s firm arse.

“Draco, please love. Say you’ll be mine. If it’s Rowe, I’ll kill him.”

‘Okay, that was it.’ Draco slid two fingers swiftly and probably painfully into Potter’s bum and quickly found his prostate.

“Cum for me, Harry.” Draco extended his talons into Potter’s prostrate.

The Auror screamed as he came. Every light bulb in the room shattered with the force of out-of-control magic. Potter’s brutal thrusts slowed.

‘Finally.’ Draco thought as he reined in his magic.

Potter pulled out. “Oh Merlin, Malfoy, what have I done?”

Draco muttered a quick healing spell for the nicks he made to Potter’s bowls before withdrawing his fingers. “Not to worry you’re not the first engaged wizard I’ve had.”

“You…you won’t tell anyone about this will you?”

Draco could feel Potter’s sperm moving further inside him. “Of course, not think of it was a wedding present.”

Potter pulled at his hair and bolted from his nest. Draco sat up and stretched his wings. Potter pulled his robes on in a hurry, such a hurry he forgot his underwear.

Draco just smirked as he felt the faint pop of his body finally releasing an egg for fertilization “Potter.”

Harry stopped at the door half-dressed face red. Draco sauntered from the nest over to him. “Next time, you pay full price.”

Harry was distracted by his semen dripping from Malfoy onto the floor. “Er… There won’t be a next time. I’m getting married in a month.”

Draco handed him his glasses. “I live off of married men telling me ‘there won’t be a next time’ every month.”

Potter bolted from his presence then and passed Narcissa on the stairs.

She nodded to him cordially before continuing up the stairs.

She found her son lying nude in his nest. “I heard Potter scream. Are you alright?”

Draco grinned and rubbed his abdomen. “Can you sense it, mother? Potter and his ridiculous magic levels are good for something.”

Narcissa rushed to his side and placed a hand on his stomach. “An egg. You can feel it.”

Draco grinned. The next two days would be filled with nothing by gorging on food and preparing his nest further.

Draco was ravenous, he should have kept Potter under his spell just to have an extra set of hands for food.

Narcissa was out at the shops gathering him more meet and nutrients. Which was good since Draco had already swallowed down every newt in the apothecary and was starting to eye the toads. Disgusting creatures, they were Draco desperately needed more protein and calcium. Every live creature in the back was panicking at his ravenous rampage.

Draco grabbed one of the toads. It was too big to swallow whole so he bit into it. Completely disgusting but exactly what he needed. He had to feed his egg. He’d worked too hard to get it. Slept with too many washed-up Order of Merlin men for this one to dissolve away. Potter had been potent enough to give him an egg. Draco could stomach anything for two days while it formed.

Narcissa returned as he finished off the toads and was eyeing the pixies trying to figure out how to kill them in mass offering easier eating. “Oh good, you’ve eaten your toads.”

“They are disgusting. Did you bring more snails and ashwinder?”

Narcissa motioned to the men levitating a barrel inside along with jars or frozen snakes and tanks of more newts. “Hopefully this will last you, or else I will have to go to Hogsmeade. You’ve cleaned out London.”

Draco hummed and shoed the men away from the barrel. Before using his talons to spear the snails and slugs.

Narcissa paid the men and stretched her own wings. She sighed as she watched her son crunch through a snail shell. “I’m glad you enjoy them so. I hated them. I think that’s why I only had one egg form.”

“I want this one to hatch, but I hope Potter comes back. He’s the first one I’ve had an egg even develop much less incubate. With him, under my spell, I could have a whole clutch.”

Narcissa’s head wiped around. “You aura’d him. Are you mad? You could go to Azkaban?”

Draco slurped down another slug-like it was nothing more than a piece of ripe fruit. “Oh please, if he did anything, I’d just sleep with the judge again and get off of it.”

His mother huffed at him. “You need to be careful, it’s not the men you seduce that’s the problem it’s their wives.”

Draco scooped up more snails with his talons. “All the more reason, I don’t keep a list.”

The next morning Draco’s stomach was very swollen. His egg was forming nicely There was a good chance it would be out by the end of the day. Draco’s repent consumption of small creatures continued. In addition, his lovely down feathers had started coming loose. Draco started pulling them out and patting them into his nest. It wasn’t twelve hours later, Narcissa summoned a healer from St. Mungo’s to help Draco deliver the egg after all his hips would be shattered as soon as he pushed it out.

Draco felt his body begin pushing well before the Healer had arrived. He got into a squatting position and began to push. He noticed the pop of aspiration, not a minute later. “You’re supposed to let us know when you first start forming and egg.”

Draco screeched. “First Egg. I’ve had form. Didn’t know if it would take!”

The blond healer came over to kneel next to him. “You have some options, I can cut it out of you or you can lay it naturally.”

“If you cut it will I have more eggs.”

She shook her head “There is a chance you won’t.”

Draco screamed again before gasping out. “Just heal my hips after its out.”

The labor went on for hours until Draco heard his pelvis shatter and the egg slipped free and rolled onto the nest. Draco fell backward unable to hold up his own weight not caring that his wings were folded uncomfortably. The healer quickly started working the spells to mend his bones.

“Is it fertilized?” he gasped out.

“Let me heal you first.”

“Will it incubate?” Draco yelled. The young woman stopped what she was doing and moved over and cast some magic on the egg.

She nodded. “He’ll incubate just fine.”

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. He whispered to his mother. “He’ll be back and when he is he’ll give me a whole clutch.”

The healer scoffed. “Well, I don’t recommend you having more that one egg a month.”

Draco felt sleep pulling him. ‘what if Potter became one of his monthlies, imagine how many eggs they would make.’

Draco moved his egg to a new nest were he didn’t bring men for sex. His egg was to private for him. He stopped sleeping in the love nest as he started calling it and slept in his ‘chickery’ as his mother called it. She cooed over his egg and kept it warm while he worked, whether it be his books or his other work.

Draco was excited to meet his hatchling, but he knew it would take nearly two years before it was born.

A month after he laid his egg, the Profit morning headline was of the Potter-Weasley wedding. Draco snagged some poor unsuspecting man from the apothecary and dragged him upstairs to fuck away his jealousy.

At a year and six months, the egg began to crack. Draco and Narcissa were ecstatic. They closed both shops and spent the day preparing for the little one. The spotted shell was cracked thoroughly as the baby began to breakthrough. Draco started to pull away the shell before, Narcissa smacked his hand away. “Don’t rush him.”

Draco fluffed his wings. The crack grew bigger before finally, a hole big enough with a tiny hand poked through.

Narcissa leaned into him. “Now you can help him.”

Draco didn’t need to be told twice he quickly and carefully began pulling the shell away reveling the messy black hair and feathers underneath. Draco pulled the little tike from the broken shell. They would take him to St. Mungo’s for examination, but Draco knew his hatchling was perfect. He looked exactly like what he expected a half-Potter Veela to look like. Draco kissed his little talons and then his nose.

Draco smirked the next day when the Profit published an article on the Potters visiting a fertility clinic.

Draco didn’t see Potter until about a month after J had hatched. It wasn’t even due to Potter coming into one of the shops. J had a fever and Draco thought he was overreacting until his mother confirmed J had a fever. Draco immediately Floo’d his son to St. Mungos.

Unfortunately, the whole Weasley was there for the birth of the newest addition to the clan. Draco spotted Potter, the Weaselett and Granger all talking in the waiting room. He quickly ignored them and headed to the check-in.

“Excuse me, I need to see a Healer. My son has a fever.”

The lady at the desk looked up. “Your name please.”

“Draco Malfoy.”

The lady stopped filling out the form. “Your son’s name?”

Something in her tone irked Draco. “James Severus.”

“Last name?”

Draco felt his feathers stand slightly in irritation. “I would rather not say.”

“I can’t admit a child without a full name.”

“These are special circumstances since we’re Veela.”

“Meaning?”

Draco huffed. “Meaning its special circumstances under SIV Law!”

The witch pursed her lips. “Meaning you don’t know.”

Draco hissed and unconsciously spread his wings threateningly. “I know damn well; I’m just not inclined or obligated to tell you! By law, I might add! Now can my son see the Healer or not.”

“I have to have his last name to look up his medical history.” The lady was not amused.

Draco felt his talons come out and his wings flared. “Just look it up! How male half-veela infants could you possibly have on file!”

The lady’s reaction didn’t change.

“Excuse me.” A familiar voice from behind Draco said. He turned to see Granger approaching with a badge out closely followed by her husband and Potter both still in Auror robes. “I’m Hermione Granger-Weasley with R.C.M.C, I believe Mr. Malfoy here is trying to get his son to a Healer.”

“Yes and this woman is being difficult.” Draco huffed pulling his son closer to his chest as the baby started crying at the raised voices.

Hermione smiled. “Madam, what seems to be the problem with letting him through?”

“I need the last name of his son in order to look up the file.”

“Are you aware that full Veela and half-veela are exempt from giving the family names if it could cause legal problems for them or endanger them or their young?”

“Unfortunately we have no other way of looking up, children’s files. So I don’t care what other Death Eater fathered the child I just need to know his name.”

“How Dare you!” Draco shoved his son into Harry’s arms on instinct. He spread his wings and his full talons came out.

“My son was not fathered by a Death Eater!”

“You’re claiming him as your son aren’t you.” The woman snapped.

Hermione actually had to put herself between Draco and the counter to keep him from attacking the woman. “Ron, can you take Draco and his son somewhere he can calm down?”

“Er…You want me to take them?”

“Yes, that’s what I just…” Hermione turned around to see Harry holding the baby to his shoulder sound asleep. Draco was in shock.

“I’ll take ‘em, to another waiting area.”

Draco reached for his son. Over Harry’s shoulder, he could see Potter’s wife having a sour look on her face.

“He’s fine, Malfoy.” Harry started down the hall.

“He’s obviously not fine, Potter, or we wouldn’t be here.”

Harry frowned. “You know what I meant. He’s a cute kid. I like his fuzzy little wings.”

_Of course, he’s cute. He looks just like you Draco wants to scream._

“I’ve never seen a Veela with dark coloring.”

Draco paled and reached to take the babe from Harry’s shoulder. “He gets that from his father, unfortunately.”

Harry eased him back into Draco’s arms. “And the wings from you. So…um… do you know who his father is?”

Draco shot the other man a dirty look. “Of course, I do. It’s just none of that damn woman’s business. She’d sell the name to the Profit and retire early.”

“Oh. So er…”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Yes, Potter, Jay’s father is rich and married. It’s quite common for Veela’s to have lovers who are married and with the money to pay for them you know.”

He nodded. “Believe me Hermione really likes her job in the R.M.R.C, she tells me things all the time. All the injustices, you’ll be lucky if she doesn’t con you into being her poster boy for some new VIS regulations she’s thought up.”

Draco smirked into their son’s hair. “You know all about being a poster boy eh Head Auror Potter?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “I uh… I suppose.”

Draco stepped closer. “Though from what I’ve read lately the Head Auror isn’t all that much a poster boy in bed.”

“You know damn well, I don’t-” Potter snapped.

Draco smirked. _Prove it_ , He wanted to say. “I was referring to you or your wife’s rumored infertility, but what are you so touchy about, Potter? Or is a lack of spawn the symptom but not the cause.”

Hermione’s voice cut down the hall. “Alright, we’ve reached a compromise, for now. I will be filing for clearer legislation in these matters. That woman is-”

She didn’t seem to notice the tension between Draco and Harry, or she was simply used to it after so many years. Harry took the opportunity to storm away. His anger and magic spilled out of him. Light bulbs exploded down the hall forming a trail of darkness after him.

Draco shivered. “Merlin.”

Hermione came to a stop in front of him. “Whenever you’re done salivating over Harry’s power, I have to witness you filling out the form.”

That snapped Draco’s attention away. “What?”

Hermione crossed her arms. “That was the only way that horrible woman would let you get away with not telling her was if you pulled the file yourself and to make sure you only look at one file, I witnessed it. Then you can hand it directly to a Healer in the exam room.”

Draco gripped his son tighter. “No, definitely not you.”

“Why? Because I’m muggle-born.”

“No! I don’t want you to know!”

“Fine, I’ll calm Harry down and he can-“

“No! Fine, you can look but you have to swear not to tell anyone.”

“Of course-”

“No, I mean as in vow not to tell anyone.”

She paused. “You’re serious.”

Draco stepped closer and flared his wings. “Deadly.”

Hermione nodded. “I swear I won’t tell anyone unless the situation is life or death.”

Draco nodded. “Alright. Let’s get his records.”

Hermione motioned for Draco to follow her the records.

As they entered the file room she spoke again. “Draco, can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“Why didn’t you give your son your last name if you didn’t want anyone to know about his other father?”

“For all the good the VIS laws due, they, unfortunately, do not give us the option to give our children our own last names.”

“Oh.,” Hermione whispered. “Would you have made him a Malfoy if you could?”

Draco’s swift stride faltered. “I don’t know. I didn’t have the option.”

They reached the P’s and Draco turned down the aisle. He yanked open the drawer marked Po-Pr and handed his hatchling to Hermione. He muttered as she watched over his shoulder as he searched “this is a nightmare.”

The thin J.S Potter file was right behind one labeled J.F Potter with a black line through it and the thick H.J Potter file in front of that. He pulled his son’s file, he heard Hermione gasp as she read his name. “Oh my God. He’s _Harry’s_.”

“Obviously. I mean look at him. He’s a mini Potter with wings.” He motioned towards his son.

Hermione cooed at the baby as she handed him back to Draco. “Does Harry know?”

The blond shook his head. “No, Potter’s too obtuse for that.”

Hermione paled. “When…when did this happen?”

“A month before he and Weaselette got married. He came to interview me about a suspect's alibi. I wanted hatchling but after he hatched just wanted to keep him from the spotlight of being a Potter.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get him to a Healer.”

A week later, the door chimed as Head Auror Potter walked into the Malfoy book shop. Just as before Draco was reading the Profit. “Mr. Potter, what can I help you with today? Here to ask again about who I’ve slept with?”

“I…er…how… how’s your son?”

Draco glared at him over the paper. _Did Hermione tell him_? He didn’t know. “He’s fine. The doctor gave him a potion and the fever was gone in an hour.”

“I um… I can’t imagine what that’s like, being afraid for a child, much less a single parent.”

Draco bristled. “Is there some reason you’re inquiring into my personal life, Potter?”

“No… well…er… ‘mione told me that his father didn’t know about him and I was just thought that must be hard on you and your mother without the extra income.”

Draco dropped the paper to the counter and stood. “So what Savior Potter, you are forced to pay for the lights you broke and thought while your coffers were open you’d take on a charity case.”

Harry huffed. “That’s not what I meant! I meant you scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

Draco smirked. “Like the scratches I left before your wedding.”

Potter’s nostrils flared as Draco continued. “Tell me, how long did you have to hide them?”

“I meant, you help me find a cure for my…sexual problems and keep it a secret and I’ll pay you well.”

Draco leaned across the counter getting in Harry’s face. “Why me?”

“You have access to plenty of research and potion ingredients, plus I already know you keep secrets well.”

Draco hummed. “I would have thought you could go to a Healer for a simple infertility potion.”

Harry glanced at the door. “That’s not really the problem, we’ve had tests run on both of us. Can… can we go somewhere more private?”

Draco pulled out his wand and flipped the sign. “Do you remember the way?”

Potter nodded and head upstairs. Draco followed close behind and closed the door behind them. “So what seems to be the problem?”

Potter couldn’t even meet Draco’s eye. “I… um… Ginny and I have been trying to start a family for about six months and well, I don’t know if it’s the pressure from the new job or pressure from trying but…”

Draco quirked an eyebrow. “But what?”

“I- you know”

Draco rolled his eyes. “No, I don’t that’s why I need you to tell me.”

Harry pulled at his hair. “When Ginny and I… Merlin, kill me now… when we have sex I… have trouble finishing the job so to speak.”

The Veela smirked. “Have you considered your wife is shite at sex?”

Potter huffed at him. “Ginny is perfectly adequate at sex. That’s not the problem.”

Draco laughed. “Adequate. Adequate. Merlin’s balls Potter, no one that enjoys sex describes their wife as adequate.”

“Look it's not Ginny, okay. I just need something to help me… get there.”

Draco leaned back against the door with his arms crossed. “Has she put her fingers in your ass?”

Potter’s jaw dropped. “What! No… why would you ask that?”

Draco shrugged. “You have no idea how many men that get off hard when you do that.”

Harry blushed. “No… no, I can’t ask my wife to do… that.”

“You seemed to like it when I did it.”

He finally met Draco’s eyes and he was furious. “That never happened.”

“Oh it did, and you liked it. You lost complete control of your magic, you do still owe me for those light bulbs by the way.”

Potter boxed the taller man in. “That was a fluke and you know it! I was surprised that’s all.”

Draco smirked and leaned in close enough his breath ghosted over Potter’s lips, “Prove it.”

He didn’t even have to hit Potter with his aura before the other man was kissing him and undoing his robes. Draco started undoing his own robes as he sank to his knees in front of Potter. The Auror soon got with the program and started undoing Draco’s hair and carding his fingers through it.

Draco started working Potter’s shaft with one hand tonguing under his foreskin. He placed a kiss to the head before holding out his free hand and whispering a spell, before enthusiastically returning to his cock. Breathing through his nose, Draco pushed Potter’s cock to the back of his throat so far back that Draco’s nose was buried in the black curls at the base of his member.

Potter moaned and gripped Malfoy’s hair tighter, he didn’t even have time to think about what Malfoy was doing before he felt the fingers circling his hole. He started fucking the Veela’s face with no resistance. Malfoy purposefully gaggled, before he slid the first finger in. Harry moaned at the feeling and started thrusting faster. Then Malfoy added a second finger and curled into his prostate. Suddenly, Potter didn’t know whether to thrust forward or back. Finally, Draco knew Potter was getting close he stopped holding Draco’s hair and put two hands under Draco’s jaw and began to fuck his face in earnest.

It was cheating of sorts, but Draco wanted it to be better than anything Weasley could give him. He pushed his toxic talons into his prostate. Potter came down his throat with a silent scream.

Potter pulled out of Draco’s throat. Draco thought he looked marvelous with his Auror robes still on only his hard cock out dripping semen onto the floor of Draco’s flat.

The Veela’s voice was still raw. “How was that Potter?”

Potter returned a week after that. This time when he arrived Draco was already upstairs with another man. Despite the closed sign he entered anyway. Harry was not expecting to see his boss, Head of Magical Law enforcement, Gawain Robards, coming down those stairs. Two months ago, their wives had been cooing over the man’s grandchildren together. Something clicked for Harry, Jay’s dark and Robards, used to be before it started graying, the secretive nature of their meetings. Jay was Robards's bastard.

Robards stared at him like a deer in headlights, until Draco called out. “Mr. Potter, what a pleasure to see you again. You can head on upstairs if you don’t mind the mess.”

Robards left a coin pouch on the counter and nodded to Harry silently as he passed. Harry couldn’t even look him in the eye as he passed him and made his way upstairs.

Draco closed the door behind him before sauntering over to his nest. “Well did that solve your little problem, Potter?”

He knotted his hands in his robes. “Er… yes and no. How long have you and Robards been-”

“ _Gawain,_ and I have been shagging for a little over three years now. And you didn’t answer my question?”

He pulled at his hair. “I… we tried what you said.”

“and?”

Potter sighed in defeat and sat down on the bed next to Draco. “And I…I realized its not me… its…”

“You’re wife’s shit at sex.”

He shook his head. “I… I went to a muggle prostitute some problem. I… realized the problem wasn’t me or Gin, it was you.”

Draco blanched. “Me?”

Potter nodded. “The… the time I had sex with you that… I that was the best shag I’ve ever had. You’ve ruined me for anyone else.”

Draco stared at him and with a shaky breath asked. “What do you want me to do about it?”

Potter was tugging at his hair again. “I… I wanted to know how much it would be to… to have you exclusively.”

“You mean to keep me as a kept boy?”

Potter hung his head in shame. “Essentially yes.”

“Why do you want me exclusively?”

He sighed. “It’s stupid, you’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Too late, St. Potter, I’ve known that longer than anyone…you did try to kill me sixth year.”

“You tried-“ Harry took a breath. “Er… Look I’m probably never going to have kids with Ginny, even trying currently we’re only doing so when it would be convenient to her quidditch career. “I want to be a father, you have a son who you can’t tell his father. I just thought… I don’t know its stupid. I don’t even care that Robards sired him, I like the wee tike and-”

“Robards isn’t James’ father.”

That shut him up. Draco pushed his hair behind his ears and pulled his robe tighter. “Only the most powerful wizards, either on purpose or losing control of their magic can cause a Veela to form an egg.”

“You mean-”

“I’ve only wizard shatter my lightbulbs when he came. Jay’s full name is James Severus Potter, I thought you’d want your first-born son to have your middle name.”

Harry’s jaw went slack. Draco continued. “I won’t bar you from seeing him if that is what this is about.”

“He’s … he’s mine.”

Draco hissed. “You can ask Granger if you don’t believe me. But for Merlin’s sake, he looks just like you with tiny wings.”

Potter reached over and cupped Draco’s jaw. “Draco,” Malfoy looked up he never called him by his first name outside of sex. “Please tell me, how much it would be to have you to myself.”

Draco swallowed, Potter had no idea how many possible hatchlings this could cause. “You realize if we have sex all the time where you lose control I will continue to have eggs.”

Harry leaned in-breath ghosting Draco’s lips. “I’ll give you as many as you want or as many as we can afford.”

Draco swallowed. “1000 gallons a month possibly more depending on how often I lay.”

Potter kissed the corner of his mouth. “And I expect you to be here once a week. I need sex.”

Potter… _Harry_ started tugging at the strings of Draco’s robes. He then started to kiss Draco’s jaw as he moved his hand down to begin fingering the Veela open. “I was obsessed with you, you know.”

Draco gasped as he slid a finger in. “What?”

“At Hogwarts, I was obsessed with you. I could always find you in any room it drove me nuts, I didn’t know why at the time. I didn’t understand, how you could be prettier than every girl. Until you got your wings.”

Draco groaned. “You hated me. Do you know how infuriating it was as a Veela for me fourth year, the school filled to the brim with powerful wizards? I spent every moment between classes with you lining my underthings with clothe.”

Harry growled and tugged at his trousers. “I buggered a muggle that looked like you, first time with anyone.”

Draco tore at his shirt gasping against the column of his throat. “Do you know why my wings sprouted when they did?”

Harry pushed into the Veela with a moan. Draco continued as he started to thrust. “You have any idea, how attractive power is to a Veela, much less to a fledgling,” Draco groaned with each thrust. “Harry Potter, Master of Death, defeating the Dark Lord, you weren’t just radiating power, it was like a typhoon I was downing in. I was ready to let you have me in those smoldering ruins in front of everyone.”

Harry moaned and moved Draco’s hand to his arse and folded the taller man’s legs up around his waist. “You should have. Fuck, I’d have shagged you every fucking day in Slughorn’s had I known.”

Draco grinned and kissed Potter’s lips as he worked his fingers into his bum. Potters' pace was unrelenting. He was glad he was his only client now, the bruising on his neck and thighs alone would be enough for someone to call the Aurors. Draco grinned at the thought of having to explain to Weasley, that his boss and brother-in-law was the one who had so sufficiently buggered him.

Gasping out ‘Draco’ Potter came seconds later. The fireplace roared to life. He pulled out and fell back on into the nest. “Shite, that was good.”

Draco smacked his thigh and nipped at his ear, “Spread ‘em, I didn’t come.”

The shorter man complied. Draco whispered a quick lubrication spell before sliding his cock into the other man’s ass and thrusting into him just as roughly as he had done to Draco. It didn’t take too long before Draco was also coming. “Harry.” He gasped out.

Draco collapsed onto Potter’s chest. He sighed.

They laid there for a while in silence before Draco spoke. “I don’t suppose I can have an advance for the month.”

Harry continued stroking out his white locks. “Why?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Because you pillock, I have an egg forming in me… it takes a lot of food to form one.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You… you can feel it already?”

“Yes, of course, I can. I knew I had an egg in me before you ever finished putting your clothes back on last time.”

Harry raised his head. “Its… It's that fast.”

Draco hummed. “I’ll lay it in about 36 hours if you’d like to see it.”

“I would, can I come before then.”

Draco kissed Harry’s chest. “Only if you want to see me swallowing buckets Toads and Newts.”

“Whole?”

Draco scrunched his nose. “Depends on the size.”

Harry laughed. “Explains why you’re so good at swallowing cock.”

Draco reached down and started stroking Potter’s cock back to life, “Only for you.”

Harry groaned as Draco straddled his hips and slid his cock back inside him.

Turns out having marathon sex with the Master of Death, was a terrible idea for a Veela. Draco was miserable as it turned out Veela are capable of producing multiple eggs at a time. Ravenous didn’t even describe how Draco was feeling. Harry had sent Kreature to help fetch Draco more of whatever he requested. Kreature was more than happy to help serve the ‘true’ Black heir, at least until Draco bit him. After that Kreature kept his distance more.

Healer Abbott was surprised to see Harry there for the laying, to say the least. But her furry over Draco having two eggs at once overshadowed her surprise. “You can use muggle condoms, Malfoy.”

Two days later, Harry and Draco were putting the membranes to the test in _their_ nest as Draco was now calling it. Harry was over almost every other day he never stayed the nights. But he often took his lunch breaks to Draco and Jamie for lunch. Harry didn’t even mind feeding Jamie, though he was adamant he didn’t what to know what was in the mush he was spooning into the child’s mouth.

During Quidditch season, Harry would come over for dinner on the nights Ginny was on the road. On one of those particular evenings approximately six months after Draco had laid his second and third egg, Draco looked up at the chime of the bells to see Hermione with Harry.

“Granger? What are you doing here?”

“I invited her. Since she knows, I thought… well if it’s okay with you I wanted her to know Jamie.”

Hermione smiled. “And I was wondering if I could get your opinion on some proposed modifications to the VIS laws.”

Draco smirked. “Of course you do. Come in, I’ll inform Mother we have a guest for dinner.”

Harry bounced Jamie in his lap as he fed him some of the mash, Narcissa had made him, while Draco and Hermione chatted as they peeled vegetables. “So I’ve proposed some new modifications dealing with Veela-Incubus and Succubus inheritance and marriage.”

Draco continued to chop the mushrooms. “What will they do?”

“The most significant is allowing marriages between VIS and witches or wizards also allowing both parents to legally recognize the offspring for inheritance and custody purposes.”

Draco looked up at her. “What?”

“It would allow your mother to inherit the Black family money and recognize her parents' marriage therefore legally allowing her to inherit from her wizard father. I’ve been spending time with lots of VIS lately and it seems inheritance and life partnerships are common problems.”

Draco glanced at Harry. “How would these new laws affect other arrangements?”

Hermione smirked. “Too many other officials have similar arrangements, for me to try to interfere in that system.”

“And would you?” Draco said in a flat tone, trying to sound neutral on the subject.

“I would, so VIS don’t have family businesses to fall back on and can get trapped in arrangements with powerful people they, unfortunately, have to depend on.”

“I ‘suppose if done properly such laws could work. But if my Mother can inherit her father’s fortune, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about Jamie every having to be in a relationship he does not want.”

“I would hope not. Inheritance is my first priority. I only found out about this injustice because Harry couldn’t change his will to make Jamie his heir. There is no telling what other injustices to magical beings, I’ve made it my mission to…”

Draco stopped. He wasn’t hearing anything else Granger had said. “Potter, wants to make Jamie his heir?”

She paused mid-lecture. “Of course, he does. I thought he had told you.”

“Oi! Potter, you thick git, why didn’t you tell me you wanted our son as your heir?” Draco yelled into the dining room brandishing a knife. Granger looked appalled.

However, she quickly evolved into being simply confused when Harry didn’t even look upset. “Of course, I do he’s my son.”


	2. 2005-2006

Harry detested the Profit; But was he ever their favorite subject. He’d incinerated seventeen messages this morning alone. Then, unfortunately, there had been a knock at his door just after lunch. The editor-and-chief of the Profit, Mr. Cuffe, walked in.

“Mr. Potter, since you refuse to answer my calls, I thought I had better come her to prompt you to comment on tomorrow’s front page.”

Harry ignored him. “I never comment on your articles, Cuffe.”

The man dropped a paper on his desk, “You might want to reconsider.”

He looked up at the paper. ‘Potter sired hatchling with Death-Eater Paramour’

“Fuck.” Harry pulled out a scrap of paper and quickly scribbled out a message to Draco before handing the message to an owl.

Cuffe continued. “I know this report will put you in a bind at home so, if you give me say- five thousand galleons, this goes away.”

Harry turned to the man, “Wait, are you trying to black mail me?”

He laughed and flicked his hands at the older man locking him in a full-body bind to the chair.

Harry leaned against the flew, where Draco arrived with their two-year-old son a few minutes later. “Potter, this had better be a real emergency.”

Harry rolled his eyes and pointed to the paper.

Draco cradles James in his arms as he leaned over the desk and read the article. He scoffed. “Even fucking St. Potter, I’m still called a Death Eater.”

Cuffe strained to speak. “So you don’t deny it then?”

Draco turned, cooing over Jay. “He looks just like his daddy doesn’t he; it is so hard for people to believe Potter would do something so debase as keep a courtesan, no one even notices. I’m sure our other hatchlings will be just as beautiful.”

“Why tie me up, then?”

Draco handed Jamie to Harry, before turning and looming over the man. “Do you know why, people don’t spill secrets about Veela, Mr. Cuffe?”

The blond started releasing some of his allure. “Mutually assured destruction. I can pry ever dark secret you’ve ever had out of you?”

“That… that’s illegal.”

Harry shrugged from his place by the fire. “It perfectly legal. VIS law allows Veela to protect their young when threatened.”

“But I threatened you not him.”

“I was the Dark Lord’s concubine. My fledglings were supposed to be his. How do you think the Death Eaters still out there will feel when they find out I had Potters’ instead.”

“I…um.” Cuffe sputtered.

Draco released his aura full blast at the man. “Tell me, what is your secret?”

The older man’s pupils dilated. “I-“ he tried to stop himself. “I swept it under the rug and have been taking payment from Judge Bilings. He sleeps with defendants for easier sentencing.”

Draco huffed. “Already, knew that try again.”

“I shag all my interns!” The man yelled.

Draco smirked pulling back in his magic. “See was that so hard.”

He walked over to Harry and kissed him languidly cupping his erection. “I expect you’ll be over for lunch so I can help you with your _problem_.”

“Might be a long lunch.”

“I’m counting on it.” Draco hummed and took Jamie back before stepping into the fire place.

They didn’t have many problems with the profit following Cuffe’s idiotic blackmail scheme. Six months later, the speckled egg Draco had laid started to hatch. Harry was ecstatic because it was the first hatching he’d gotten to witness. He’d even straight up lied to Ginny about where he was. The hatchling was another beautiful boy with wings; his coloring was extortionately different from his brothers. His hair deceptively looked white like Draco’s but the underlayers consisted of dark gray striped hairs and his wings under-feathers had the same pattern.

“He looks like Hedwig.” Harry had remarked.

“Our child is not your blood bird, Potter we are not naming him that! Or anything muggle, we’ll name him something respectable.”

“Pretty sure you’re part bird, Malfoy, you eat the same a Hedwig.”

“Veela are not birds!” Draco was inches from Harry’s face.

“You have wings and lay eggs with your weird genitals.”

Draco stood and flared his wings but Narcissa got between the two. “How about I name my grandson and the two of you can go resolve this squabble.”

She took the babe from her son. Draco grabbed Harry’s wrist and pulled him to their other nest. “Splendid idea and Potter can explain what is so weird about my genitals.”

Scorpius Hyperion was not a name either Harry or Draco would have chosen, but it was the name their second son had. The next day as their third egg started hatching, Draco could hardly enjoy the occasion as he was currently developing their fourth egg. It also made the experience less enjoyable for Harry as he was having to help Narcissa lug barrels of pickled newt and things.

After his fourth trip to another apothecary. He’d had an idea that Draco would detest. He’d gone to the Menagerie to obtain a larger amount of food for Draco. Unfortunately one of the clerks’ asked him what kind of bird he had that he could possibly need so much food for.

“Er… um well… a Veela.”

The look of the attendant’s face was enough to make Harry feel like he had to explain. “He’s just a friend, but he’s producing an egg.”

She smiled. “Not to worry Mr. Potter, we have a package called the extra-large bird breeding package. Lots of Veela come in to get it when they have eggs.”

Harry couldn’t help it; he started laughing. “I’m sorry it’s just he got stroppy when I called him a bird.”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t tell him where you got this then. If you’ll follow me to the back you can pick from the different choices.”

Harry had so many parcels he had to levitate them to get them up the stairs to Draco’s nest. Draco had Jamie in his lap as slurped up slugs handing one to the hatchling every so often. Ever since James had gotten his first teeth Harry had had the unfortunate experience of seeing exactly what growing Veela ate.

“Finally, Potter, what took so long?”

“The Apothecaries were out I had to get creative in what I thought you might eat.”

Harry started easing the parcels to the nest.

Draco huffed. “What all did you get?”

Harry threw a live rat at him. “This was always one of Hedwig’s favorites.”

Draco caught the rodent in his talons before biting its head off looking Harry dead in the eyes.

Shock was written across the Auror’s face.

“You had better have brought me other foods that aren’t so plebian.” He huffed and tore off a chuck of flesh and handed it to Jamie.

He tapped a keg next to him. “Eels in this one. Newts and Snails in the smaller one.”

He pulled something that looked like a large biscuit tin out from behind his back. “And this is Salmon roe.”

Draco shot from his place in the nest and swiped the container from Harry’s hands. Harry quickly realized that though expensive, Eel and Roe were the favorite of his little family. Scorpius and Jamie reached get tiny hand-fulls of the roe, while Draco was extremely pleased to alternate eating his eels for mixing-spoon-fulls of roe.

It was late that night when their third egg hatched. Only this hatchling was different from its siblings. Unlike them, it lacked wings and its gender was not straightforward as it had a slit-like Draco. Nurse Abbot was called in.

The babe had Harry’s black curls and black fingers that would surely grow into talons. Hannah took the babe and examined it thoroughly. Taking its temperature and pulse.

“Your son is fine.” She said returning the hatchling to Draco’s arms.

“He?” Harry asked.

She nodded. “He’s a hen, like Draco.”

Harry turned to Draco. “A Hen? I thought you said you weren’t a bird.”

The Veela pulled his wings around himself and his hatchlings shooting a glare at Hatty. “Our son needs a name. And no muggle names.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Jamie has a muggle name.”

“His middle name is a perfectly pure-blood name.”

“You’ll name him after some ridiculous relative.”

“So will you!”

Draco huffed. “Fine. No naming him after relatives.”

“That rules out a lot of names.”

Three months after Scorpius and Albus hatched, Draco went to retrieve the post only to discover The Profit included an article on page two about the updating of VIS laws. Granger had done it. ‘Children born to VIS parent can be legally recognized by the law as the heir of their Wizard/Witch parent.’

It was about time too, she had a newborn that would surely need her time more. However, it wasn’t long after that Draco’s own parenting troubles began as three-year-old Jamie soon learned to fly.

Harry was laying in bed next to Ginny, one Saturday morning, when an owl flew in and dropped a howler.

Before he even had the chance to take it out of the room, it started in Draco Malfoy’s very frantic voice. “He’s Gone! Harry, I need you here. I can’t… I can’t find Jay. I burnt the toast so I opened the window to air it out. When I turned around Jamie was gone! Mother has Scor and Al, and I’m searching. Merlin, Potter what if he was taken. Just get here! What if he’s hurt!”

Before the howler had even finished Harry was out of bed getting dressed. Ginny watched him with a confused face. “Harry, it’s your day off, couldn’t one of the other Aurors handle it.”

“Have Ron meet me there.”

Harry said nothing else to her before apparating to just outside Draco’s bookstore. Draco was flying overhead; Harry shot red sparks from his wand to signal the other man and any Aurors nearby.

Draco circled down and landed next to him. “Harry, I can’t find him. I-“

“I know I know. Let’s circle back to the window you think he flew from. He’s only a hatchling he can’t fly far.”

They went through the alley to reach the back of the house where the window was still open. Harry looked around.

“He couldn’t have gotten too far from here. Do you check the roof tops and balconies?”

Draco huffed. “I tried but the neighbors threatened to hex me for trespassing.”

Harry smirked. “Let’s see them do that while the Head Auror is next to you.”

“If I wasn’t so worried about our son, I would scold you for your ego.”

There was a pop, as Harry apparated them onto the roof line.

“Let’s check behind the chimney and trace the building line, he could think he’s in trouble and be hiding from you.”

Moments later, Ron appeared on the street; Harry yelled for him to join them. “On second thought, Draco, me an’ Ron can check the roof, can you fly around and see if you can spot ‘em.”

The pair clamored over the block of buildings surrounding the courtyard. The Malfoy shops weren’t on the main street of Diagon Alley and Harry was praying Jamie hadn’t got on to the street. The two Aurors circled the building checking the roof and looking down onto the balcony’s calling out Jamie’s name.

“ya gonna tell me why ya sent Malfoy flyin’?” Ron said peering down a chimney pipe with a Lumos charm.

“What you want to deal with him while he’s mad over his chick right now?”

“He’s always mad. But I mean right now.”

“Jamie might be injured or have been taken as a way to get back at Draco or at m- at the boy’s father.”

Harry looked down at a balcony over Diagon Alley and noticed a crowd had gathered even a Profit reporter was taking pictures. He waved to the crowd who noticed who he was cheered. Pulling his wand he pointed it to his neck to amplify the sound.

“We’re looking for a half-veela toddler that might have flown from a window. He’s got black hair and wings if you see him please contact us with red sparks.”

The reporter started jotting down notes while the crowd had various reactions. Harry and Ron continued their walk. As they circled around the courtyard block. Harry heard a distant wail.

He turned to Ron. “Did ya hear that?”

“Yep. But I don’t know which direction.” Harry said. “Jamie! Yell if you can hear me.”

There was a faint call of. “Daddy!” from the apartment blocks to there left.

Harry jumped the gap and took off as fast as he could.

“Jamie! Keep yelling buddy.”

Ron was trailing close behind but clearly wasn’t as motivated to risk breaking his neck by sprinting across tile roofs.

Harry followed his ears to a low chimney stack. “Jamie!”

“Daddy!” The boy sobbed.

Harry peered down into it. Jamie was wedged between two clumps of soot, which covered his face and hands. There were streaks of black down his face where his tears had fallen.

“Jamie, I’m gonna get you out, but I need you to be brave for me okay.”

He nodded.

“Are you hurt?”

Jamie lifted his hand to show Harry a scratch but when he did he sunk deeper down.

He and Harry screamed in unison. Harry pulled his wand, Draco would kill him if he injured James getting him out of the flue but he’d rather that than him fall all the way through. Slowly, Harry levitated him out of the chimney and back into his arms.

Ron helped him pull him out of the last little bit. As soon as he was free, Jamie clung to Harry.

“I’m sorry.” The boy pleaded.

“I know, buddy. We’re gonna get you back to your father now.” Harry reached into his pocket for his wand. He and Ron walked back over to the roof of the Malfoy building where Draco landed moments later.

Before Ron could come up with a snide remark to Malfoy, the Veela was wrapping Harry and his kid in a hug. “Thank you, Harry.”

The hug didn’t last long at all before Draco was pulling back with Jamie in his arms. “Jamie, my sweet boy, I missed you.”

Jamie clung to Draco. “I was scared. Daddy said I had to be brave.”

Draco side-eyed Ron. “I’m sure you were. Let’s get you back inside. The crowd gathering to glorify St. Potter, makes me uneasy.”

Harry turned to see a large crowd clapping and cheering down below on the street outside Malfoy’s book shop. Draco gracefully flew down to the entrance and rushed inside.

Draco wasn’t the only one that was uncomfortable with the crowd. Harry would have liked to have consoled Draco and spent some time with his children, but between Ron and the press, Harry thought he’d better just excuse himself.

“Er… um, I guess we should go file a report.”

“Yeah. But I think we might should get Malfoy to St. Mungo’s. He hugged you, called you by name and thanked you. Someone could have imperious-ed him. Or be impersonating him.”

Harry rolled his eyes. He placed a hand on Ron’s should apparated them to his office. “He’s fine, Ron. He was just going mother hen over Jay.”

“It’s just hard to believe, I mean I know him and Hermione are civil now, but still. I thought I’d die before hearing Malfoy say Please or Thank you.”

Harry sat down. “It’s more common than you think.”

“Oi, you’re having me on. There’s no way you’ve ever heard him say either of those before without being condescending.”

Harry smirked to himself. _You definitely wouldn’t believe I’ve heard him beg._ He thought as he continued to fill out the paperwork.

“It amazing ferret face managed to have such a cute kid,” Ron said after a few minutes of filling out forms.

Harry laughed. “I haven’t heard him called that since he sprouted his wings. Guess even us Gryffindors are susceptible to the Veela charms.”

Ron pouted. “I’d die before I ever admit something other than loathing towards, Malfoy.”

Harry shrugged. “I’d never have thought, Hermione would be friends with him, but here we are.”

“Now hang on, ‘Mione’s not _friends_ with Malfoy; they’re like business acquaintances.”

“I don’t have many business acquaintances I have tea with every other Tuesday.”

“What could they possible talk about that often, what do they even have in common other than Hermione’s job?”

“Er…” Harry looked for a way to change the subject. “Well, they both like books and have busy lives with children. Have you filled out the fourth section part C, yet.”

They hadn’t been working to long before an owl tapped on the window. Harry stood up to receive the message. He gave the owl some coppers, but he stayed rooted to his perch, he was clearly expecting a reply. He turned to his desk open the note; it was a pre-run of the story about Harry rescuing Jamie with a note from editor Cuffe.

Draco would hate it. The picture had caught Draco launching through the air to embrace Harry and Jamie. Harry smirked as he scanned through the article making sure there were no traces of the three’s real relationship. Harry note a quick note of his approval and a quote for Cuffe, before sending it with the owl, keeping the pre-print for himself.

He nudged Ron. “Look at this, Draco’ll be furious.”

Ron looked at the picture and grinned. “The ponce won’t hardly be able to stand it.”

“I think I should frame it and put it behind me desk, if the ponce ever comes in again, he has to look at it.” He held his hands out framing part of the wall.

Ron laughed. “Brilliant. He’ll be reminded everyone knows he fancy’s you despite his protests. That will get his feather in ruffles.”

Harry paused. “Er…what?”

“You know feathers, cause he’s a Veela.”

“Yeah, got that part I meant, the part where you said he fancies me.”

“Well, yeah, everyone pretends like we don’t notice that Draco is a git to your face and then making lovestruck faces at you when you’re not, but come on, mate, it’s pretty obvious.”

“I… I mean…I knew…know he wants to sleep with me, but that’s just lust right.”

Ron laughed. “Harry, he’s liked you forever. Did Ginny never tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“You know the thing in fourth year.”

“What thing?”

“She caught him hanging out in front of the common room the night of the goblet. Apparently, he had planned on asking you to the ball, but Fred and George ran him off before you got back. He had flowers and everything, mate.” Ron shrugged. “I can’t believe we never told you. I mean Fred-…Fred bragged about making Malfoy cry all the time.”

“He cried.”

“Well teared up really, Fred an’ George are always a bit dramatic when they told it.”

“Huh.” Harry sat down at his desk and started up his paperwork again. “On second thought, I’ll just keep it in the desk.”

Ron groaned. “Ah, come on, ‘arry. I was looking forward to Malfoy leaving your office in a huff.”

Harry took his glasses from his face and cleaned them mumbling, “It just doesn’t seem, right after what you told me. I mean, no wonder he made those badges.”

“But that was years ago, besides its not like you’d’ve said yes.”

Harry couldn’t meet Ron’s eyes as he put his glasses back on. “dunno, I might’ve.”

“You might’ve? Don’t tell me… Really? Malfoy, of all the- a secret crush on _Malfoy_.”

“You’ve seen him. He’s- He’s veela, for Merlin’s sake.” Harry flushed.

“Yeah. I’ve seen him. He’s still a prat and that outweighs his looks.”

“But his allure.”

“I’ve heard enough lectures from ‘Mione to know, its illegal for him to use glamour on people.”

“But today when he hugged me-” Harry’s faced turned red.

“Trust me, he wasn’t using his magic on you.”

“I… I thought he was always using it.”

Ron started laughing. “You _fancy_ Malfoy.”

“I’m a married man, in case you forgot brother-in-law.”

Ron shrugged. “Most purebloods don’t count Veela as cheating.”

“What? Why?”

“Half-Veela, weren’t legally theirs, never really interfered with heirs. Guess that will change now.”

Harry was quiet as he finished filling out his report. _Purebloods don’t count Veela as cheating._ Then why did Harry feel guilty? It dawned on him as he headed home. 

If he wasn’t married to Ginny, he would be right there with ‘Mione helping her lobby for VIS-Wizard Marriages. Because he would marry Draco if he could. Merlin, he was in love with Draco Malfoy.

The next morning Harry awoke to an empty bed. It was rather strange as usually Ginny slept in. Harry reached for his glasses and clambered out of bed. Scratching at his stomach he wondered into the kitchen, wondering if Gin was making breakfast.

But the kitchen was dark. He wandered through and found her sitting at the breakfast nook, Profit in one hand and coffee in the other.

“Morning.” He said coming over to kiss her, but her face stopped him from leaning over, “What’s happened?”

“I dunno, Harry, you tell me.”

She handed him the copy of the Profit. It was the exact same article he had read yesterday; the picture hadn’t been changed.

He looked up at his wife a bit confused before she elaborated.

“I thought it was weird, Malfoy sending you a howler like that, then I saw the picture this morning of the happy little family.”

“Ginny-“

“Please, stop keeping things from me for once, Is Draco’s son yours?”

He couldn’t meet her eyes, instead, he nodded solemnly. “Yeah.”

Ginny swallowed. “And how long have you known?”

“A bit over two years.”

“Again with the secrets. Why did you let me go on thinking we had to keep trying to have children when you already had one that you can now legally acknowledge? Or is it that you didn’t want too?”

Harry was bewildered. “I… I thought you still wanted children of your own.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Having children of my own is a set-back to my career that I only wanted them for your sake. If I had known having a step-child via a succubus or veela was on the table I would have suggested it myself.”

Harry was floored, it took him a second to respond. He was coming clean about so much he had better come clean about it all. “Children.”

“What?”

“Jamie has two brothers and Draco has a fourth egg.”

Now it was her turn to be surprised. She sipped her coffee while she pondered. “And you’re sure they’re all yours?”

Harry nodded.

“How Veela’s are rarely faithful, useless they are being-You’re keeping him up!”

Again, Harry nodded.

“How many more secrets are you keeping from me, Harry? How much are you paying him?”

“1000.”

“A third, you’re paying your brood mare a third of your salary!”

Harry bristled. “Don’t call him that.”

“Would you rather I call him a whore?”

“That’s not better!”

“Well, which is it then he’s either just your broodmare or just a whore, because in-case you’ve forgotten, _Harry Potter_ , I’m the one who took your last name not Draco Malfoy, who legally can’t be your spouse”

“Maybe I wish he could! Maybe if you and the twins hadn’t gutted him that night, he would have chosen the light and been by my side instead of you.”

“Who told-Or maybe he’d still have been used Voldemort’s whore I’m sure he told him it felt good too.”

“Did it feel good when you hexed him away from the Gryffindor commons that night? When you humiliated him?”

Ginny huffed. “Don’t you dare try to put this on me. This whole mess is you and your secret’s fault! I don’t want to look at you for the rest of the week. Get out!”

“Yeah, and it all started with you keeping just one.” Harry stormed to the bed to pack somethings.

It was a bad situation, he couldn’t go to Hermione and Ron’s, Ron was her brother, and if he went to Draco she’d be even more furious.”

But that’s where he ended up, on Draco Malfoy’s doorstep with a trunk at eleven o’clock in the morning. Kreature arrived at the door to let him in. Harry wondered to himself what Ginny would make of him giving a house elf. Then again he didn’t rightly care what she thought right now after calling Draco such things.


	3. Summer 2006

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens. Draco cried. This is the gore tag.

Draco and Hermione were having a lovely Sunday afternoon. The pair had left their children at home and gone shopping. Despite the fact that much of what they were shopping for was for their children, it was easier without them there. Especially for Draco who had more toddlers than he did hands. After a look through the book shop, the two had decided to return to Draco’s house for lunch.

Much to their surprise, they returned to find Harry fixing tuna salad sandwiches in the kitchen. “Potter, its Sunday. What’re you doing here?”

Harry continued to spread the filling on the bread. “Gin and I had a row. She said she didn’t want to see me for a while, and I don’t rightly what to see her.”

Draco set his parcels down. “That doesn’t explain what you’re doing?”

“My children are here, and I pay you a great deal of money every month; I should at least get the couch for the night.”

Draco huffed and gestured to the kitchen. “Potter, why are you destroying my kitchen? Where is Kreature?”

Hermione raised her hand and opened her mouth, but Draco cut her off. “Granger, Kreature would kill himself if we paid or freed him; he has a better life than most house elves.”

Harry stilled. “Um… Kreature went to St. Mungo’s to fetch a healer. The egg started cracking. I thought I’d fix the boys a bit of lunch while your mother watched over it.”

Draco snatched a sandwich from Harry’s hands and stormed up the stair. “You could have sent me a Patronus, Potter!”

Hermione moved closer in taking a seat at the bar across from Harry and next to Jamie at the highchair, “I don’t suppose you’d mind me sharing lunch with you since you won’t be around the Borrow this evening for dinner?”

Harry shrugged. “S’long as Draco doesn’t lose our egg everything should be fine. But if something is wrong with it you should probable leave right quick.”

“This isn’t a Veela recipe is it?”

Harry smirked and shook his head; Hermione took the sandwich. He continued to spread tuna onto the rye bread.

Hermione ate half of her sandwich before asking. “Harry, how come you didn’t send a Patronus?”

He flushed and turned to put the remaining tuna in the icebox. “Er…I…I couldn’t.”

She stopped eating. “Couldn’t?”

“I… I need a new memory to use. The one I used to use was when Ginny and I got engaged, but…”

“But you’re in love with Draco now.”

Harry blushed and rubbed at his hair. “Is it that obvious?”

She shrugged. “Not in public but then, I’m one of the few people that know about you lot.”

“Is… Is that what you and Ginny fought about?”

Harry shook his head and covered James’ ears. “She doesn’t know. She found out about our kids and called Draco a whore.”

“While impolite, you do realize as your paramour Draco is technically a prostitute.”

“I suppose that’s the problem, isn’t it- I don’t see ‘em that way.”

“Oh, Harry.”

“I know, ‘Mione, I keep getting myself into messes.”

She tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I wish the wizarding laws weren’t the way they are, maybe, I don’t know… I supposed you’d still have married, Ginny.”

Harry held up a teacup offering her tea. Hermione nodded. “You’ve done a lot already. Jamie never has to be in Draco’s position if he doesn’t want; none of our kids will. Hell, Draco won’t be needing me soon with the Black money coming to them.”

Hermione gave him a weird look and started to speak, but the sound of the Flue interrupted them. Hannah Abbot emerged from the fireplace with Kreature hot on her heels.”

“Is Draco upstairs?”

Harry nodded. “In the nest with the egg.”

She nodded and headed for the stairs.

Kreature looked to the sink. “Master Potter, you have destroyed Master Draco’s kitchen, Lord Malfoy shan’t be pleased.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “He’s always in a state, could you just help me clean it up?”

That evening everything was back to normal. Kreature and Harry had repaired the kitchen, the pre-mature crack in the egg was repaired, James was running about the house, Scorpius and Albus were having a screaming contest and Draco was back to being huffy and high maintenance, as usual, storming after his children. His wings flared with irritation as he tried to hold in his talons.

Harry had ducked into Narcissa’s sitting room. She sat reading by the fire with a pot of tea. “It’s strange for you to be here so late, Harry.”

Harry swallowed. “I…er…I had a fight with my wife. She kicked me out so…um. You know I’m married right?”

Narcissa smiled into her tea. “Most men that have Veela paramours are.”

“That- It doesn’t bother you?”

She took out her wand and transfigured an adjacent quill into another teacup. “Would you like a cup?”

Harry nodded and sat across from her as her wings took up most of the couch.

She explained as she poured. “Did you know Draco was the only egg I ever produced?

Harry shook his head.

“Sugar?”

“Just a bit.”

She handed him the cup and continued. “Being bonded to a full Veela tercel, I thought I stood a chance of having several hatchlings. But it was not to be. Veela have so few eggs with wizard mates. Draco had been trying to seduce powerful enough wizards for long enough he became disheartened. He cannot leave the country due to his parole, or he probably would have gone looking for a partner in the Veela colonies in Bulgaria.”

Harry sipped his tea and faintly heard Kreature fussing over James down the hall.

“He was elated when he laid James. I was relieved my son would not suffer the way Bella did, be driven mad by a barren nest.”

“Is it that bad for Veela’s not to have eggs?”

She chuckled. “As much as Draco hates to admit it, we are much like birds, we need a flock to keep us healthy. Having only one egg hurt me, but I didn’t have any nieces or nephews I could also help rear.”

“What about Tonks?”

Narcissa’s wings twitched and she looked to the fire. “My father banished her from the family and threatened to banish anyone that contacted her.”

“But after he-“

She shook her head. “Lucius’s father, Abraxas, banished his own son and his brother for having affairs with muggleborns, that resulted in a half-blood hatchlings.”

“I didn’t know Draco had an Uncle.”

Narcissa nodded. “Lucius had a younger sister too, but she was killed in the first war. Draco doesn’t remember her. His birth helped to curb her own barren nest syndrome.”

She smiled. “After a generation having so many barren nests, having so many eggs in so few years is, well, it's been good for both of us. So no, I don’t mind that you’re married.”

Harry sipped his tea and grumbled. “Glad I have your approval.”

They both quietly stared at the flickering flames and sipped tea for a moment before Harry spoke again. “I do care for Draco you know.”

Narcissa placed her cup on to the saucer. “I am aware. It obvious to anyone around the two of you.”

“All we do is bicker, how can anyone tell?”

She smiled. “You like to do things for the people you care about. And the way you two bicker hardly disguises the flirting tone behind your words.”

“I would hardly call any off our squabbles flirty.”

“Hmm. Perhaps, but neither one of you ever say anything particularly biting to each other. I’m sure you’re aware Draco’s wit can be just as sharp as his talons.”

After a while, Narcissa retired to bed, leaving Harry with the mess from tea. Harry called for Kreature but he was clearly still busy helping Draco wrangle the children into their nest. Knowing it could still be a while, he took the dirty porcelain to the kitchen.

The scene in the kitchen told a clear story. Still-warm biscuits were on the stove. He smirked and stole one from the sheet; Draco had to bribe Jamie to get them to sleep. He’d eaten several of the biscuits when Draco came back to the kitchen.

“Finally get them to bed, eh?”

The Veela sighed. “Your spawn are a nightmare, they are stubborn spoiled brats.”

“Oh yeah, definitely me they got that from.” He said sarcastically.

Draco walked over and snatched the treat from the pan. “I’m surprised you like these; They are my grandmother’s recipe.”

Harry’s chewing slowed.

Draco took a bite with a smirk as he leaned back against the counter. “Wanna know what’s in them?”

The Auror contemplated his biscuit. “Dunno, is less appetizing than gilly weed or Goyle’s hair?”

“Why on earth would you know what Goyle’s ‘air tastes like?”

Harry shrugged. “Hermione brewed us Polyjuice potion in second year to search for the Heir of Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle were the easiest Slytherin’s to trick.”

Draco wrinkled his nose. “That’s discussing.”

“Says the man that regularly eats toads.” Harry snarked.

“Yes, which means I still have higher standards than yours. Honestly, Goyle. I can think of no one more vial to Polyjuice into.”

Harry took another bite of biscuit and scratched at his stomach. “Hermione turned into your Aunt once.”

Draco squawked. “That revolting hag. Ugh!”

He threw the half-eaten biscuit back onto the tray and crossed his arms. His face suddenly grew ashy as he drew in his wings. “She used to say I was so lucky that- that Voldemort chose me to have his heirs.”

Harry stopped chewing. “I didn’t even have wings yet. Everyone thought I hadn’t been exposed to enough raw magical power. But Snape taught me to brew a potion to keep myself from sprouting my wings or forming eggs. It’s dangerous. If not brewed perfectly it can cause infertility and lead to-“

“Barren-Nest Syndrome.”

Draco nodded. “I was so scared that I would be driven mad like her. When you showed up at my shop that first day, I knew.”

“You’re not her, you know. You knew it was me and you didn’t turn me in. You’ve chosen not to be like her.”

Draco stroked the feathers at the ends of his wings. “I’m exactly like her. I used my allure on you to get you into bed. It was stupid and foolish. It’s no different in the eyes of the law than an Imperious curse.”

Harry straightened. “You what?”

Draco’s feathers ruffled. “The first day in the shop- I used it to get you into bed. I was so desperate for an egg.” Draco crumpled to the floor. “Merlin, I’m a monster.”

Harry rushed to kneel in front of him. “I thought you were using it all the time. I didn’t know it was illegal until yesterday.”

The Veela peered up through his fingers. “What?”

“I can’t tell when you’re using it and when you’re not. I’m immune to Imperious curses.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’m immune to Veela magic.”

“Potter, I distinctly remember you making an ass of yourself during fourth year over Fleur and the Veelas at the Cup.”

Harry slid to the floor in front of Draco so their knees were touching and his back was straight against this island. “I was fourteen. What fourteen-year-old doesn’t embarrass themselves with sexual desires.”

Draco propped his chin upon his hands, his elbows rest on his knees. “You spit pumpkin juice over your lap. Because she looked at you. I don’t think you can tell when you’re under a Veela’s spell.”

He popped the last bite of his biscuit into his mouth. “I’m under your spell whether or not it’s a Veela one, aren’t I? I mean, after all, I did just willingly eat one of those biscuits. What were the black specks? Tadpoles?”

Draco cracked a smile. “Newt eyes.”

Harry groaned. “Fuck, that’s disgusting.”

“And you’re not under a spell. I’m not releasing my allure right now.”

Harry leaned forward. “Can you though?”

“What?”

“If you use it on me and I don’t feel a difference will you believe me that I’m immune. Maybe were should ask your mom-“

“Absolutely not.” Draco huffed. “Fine, but you better not arrest me for this.”

“You forget I handled it in the office that one day.”

“That wasn’t directed at you and I distinctly remember you having a reaction to it.”

Draco slowly released a bit of his magic. Harry waved him off. “Maybe I was just turned on by you threatening a man.”

“A God complex and arousal at criminal acts, some Head Auror you are, Mister Potter.”

Harry smirked. “In my defense, you were a shit Death Eater.”

Draco let out a bit more. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Harry scooted closer. “Come on Malfoy. Hit me with your Veela magic. I need to know if I’m immune. What would happen if Veelas found out I was a Barren-Nest Syndrome cure? They’d be popping up everywhere hitting me with their auras.”

A twinge of jealousy twisted in Draco’s gut. _Fine if Potter wanted it; He’d get it._ Draco released his magic completely. Harry didn’t even flinch. He didn’t even break eye contact.

“Come on, what are you waiting for?”

Draco huffed and flared his wings. “I’m hitting you full blast, you buffoon. You should be drooling if not groveling for me to fuck you!”

Harry smirked. “I told you I’m immune. I can’t tell when you don’t use it. You always look alluring to me.”

Draco propelled himself forward until he was kissing Harry.

Harry pulled back with a laugh. “What can’t seduce me with magic so you resort your body.”

Draco grabbed him by the front of his robes. “Shut up, Potter! You have no idea how hot it is that you’re powerful enough to resist me.”

Harry pulled back. “Maybe I should resist a bit longer until you’re the one begging for sex.”

The blond looked like Harry had just slapped him. “Malfoy’s do not beg!”

“Yeah? Then I suppose what you were saying the other night was some kind of chanting spell. _Merlin, Harry, don’t stop please, don’t stop, don’t stop.”_

Malfoy huffed. “That was purely for your pleasure.”

With a grunt, Harry stood up. “Well, you certainly do enough for my pleasure so I’m just gonna turn in.”

Draco bolted to his feet. He snatched up Harry’s hand with his talons. “You most certainly are not. Not until you give me a proper shag!”

Harry laughed as Malfoy pulled him towards his nest.

Monday morning, Harry found himself showering and dressing in jeans and a t-shirt. He hadn’t been thinking clearly enough to pack work clothes. Luckily once he reached the office, he could put on his Auror robes and no one would be the wiser. He made his way to the Malfoy’s dining room.

Narcissa sat reading the profit and sipping tea on one end of the table. Jamie sat happily shoving handfuls of something from a bowl into his mouth. Upon walking over to kiss his cheek, Harry realized the things in the bowl were moving. Curiosity got the better of him; he removed his glasses to clean them. After returning them to his face he could see that his son was consuming earthworms. _Lovely_.

“Is that good, little bird?”

Jamie nodded and held one up in offering to his dad.

Harry shook his head. “I’m on a diet.”

Next to him, Scorpius and Albus were getting fussy in their highchairs. Harry walked through the swinging door into the kitchen. Draco was hurrying about trying to tend to several things on the stove.

“Morning,” He grabbed Draco’s waist and kissed his cheek. “I thought you stopped feeding Jamie worms when he got his teeth.”

Draco whorled around. “Shit! I wondered where I put them.”

He quickly looked around the counter before grabbing a bowl from the same china set and rushing through the door. While he was gone, Harry snatched the skillet of bacon from the stove. Malfoy was going to burn down the house at this rate.

The Veela came rushing back into the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

Harry didn’t lookup. “I’m making sure you don’t burn your bacon. Since when do you even eat bacon?”

Malfoy pushed some hair behind his ear and set the bowl on the counter next to the stove. “I don’t; I was making it for you.”

Harry glanced to see a bit of red tinge at his cheeks. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You left your warm bed to come help me find my son. If I hadn’t left the window open your wife wouldn’t be mad at you. It’s the least I can do. But now I’ve fucked that up too.”

Harry turned to see water in the corner of Draco’s eyes. He dropped the skillet to the counter and turned to face the other man. Placing his hands on his shoulder he made the taller man look him dead in the eye. “Draco, you’ve had nearly lost a child two days in a row. You’re not a fuck up, you’re just stressed and scared. My marriage was going to have problems whether or not you or our children were involved. It’s okay to not have everything together once in a while.”

Draco whipped at his eyes. “I should still be able to make breakfast for my family after everything.”

_Family. Draco had called Harry family. Probably inadvertently, but still it made Harry’s heartstrings hum._

Harry sighed. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

The veela cocked his head. “Rabbit liver pâté on rye toast.”

Harry’s eyebrows rose. “That is surprisingly not as disgusting of a breakfast as I figured you’d eat.”

Draco huffed. “At least the organs, I eat aren’t filthy pig innards.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “How about this you worry about fixing the kids' breakfast and I’ll fix the adults.”

Draco opened his mouth to protest. “I have fixed breakfast every day since I was seven. I can do just fine in a kitchen. What does your mother eat?”

“She’s already eaten. Kreature fixed her a fish stuffed with crickets.”

“Where is Kreature anyway?”

“I sent him to get more things from the shops. I told him I’d fix us breakfast but I’m useless.”

Harry pulled him into a hug. “No, you’re not. you’re a stressed-out mother hen.”

Draco started to protest but Harry pulled away. “Don’t argue just make Scor and Al’s breakfast and I’ll fix the rest.”

Draco turned back towards the stove. “You’re going to lose your appetite when you see what they eat.”

“I’ve managed to feed Jamie while eating my own dinner I’ll manage.”

Draco pulled a cutting board out for the cabinet along with a large knife. He dumped the worms onto it and began to dice them.

Harry smirked as he put the bacon back on the stove. “This reminds me of potions class.”

Draco quirked his lips. “I suppose it is similar. At least the ingredients in the hatchling’s mash.”

Draco scraped the destroyed worms into a boiling pot.

Harry flipped his bacon. “Why do they have to eat such weird things, when you and your mother eat fairly normal meals?”

Draco hummed and dug through the cabinets. “Veela aren’t good at digesting things from plants. We get a bit better at it as we reach sexual maturity. As much as people don’t want to think about it inserts and fish are much more efficient food sources. I think maybe living outside of wizarding customs for so long Veela, we just learned our own way of providing what our young needed. believe me, It’s much easier to kill some frogs than it is to clean an animal gut it and then cook it.”

Harry pulled his bacon from the stove and placed it onto a plate before starting on their toast. He glanced over to see Draco boil down the worms. “Are you just making a custard out of worms?”

Draco grinned. “No. There are tadpoles in there as well. They’re in season, after all.”

Harry wrinkled his nose and moved to get the rabbit pate from the fridge. “Of course, they are.”

Harry carried his and Draco’s plates into the dining room, while Draco carried Scorpius and Albus’ breakfast.

It was a strange family breakfast. Draco and Narcissa casually discussed the articles in the Profit while Harry tried very actively not to look at what every else was eating. Jamie had already finished but the fact that wings of some kind were stuck to his face was enough to deter Harry’s eyes.

Once they had all finished, Draco stood to gather up the dishes. But Harry moved faster. He laid a hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Serious, you need time for your instincts to realize the hatchlings are fine.”

He kissed his head and snatched the dishes from him. Narcissa raised an eyebrow but remained quiet until Harry was in the kitchen. “Draco, that man is better to you than any Veela could hope for. If you do have any secret clients still on the side, lose them. We will have my father’s money soon enough. You won’t even need Potter’s money if you don’t want to see him.”

Draco looked floored. “What?”

“Our situation has changed, dear. I’m not your father, I want you to be with who makes you happy, not who holds the most sway in the Ministry. Do you want him beyond your arrangement? If you play your cards right with Granger’s legal pull, and his failing marriage, you could be more than just a paramour.”

Draco sipped his tea. “I’ve always wanted him and only him, but there are still loyal Death Eaters out there.”

Narcissa smiled sweetly. “You are a Veela, a Malfoy, and a Slytherin. Every part of you was made to endure and rise through something like this. You’ve already befriended, Granger, who is sure to go far in the Ministry; You’re the Head Auror’s veela. If you just had a spy in the Profit, you’d have all the power your father ever hoped for.”

Draco never thought of it like that. “Harry, um… We used my allure to get blackmail on Cuffe, he runs every article about me or Harry by him first.”

Narcissa blinked a few times. “You do realize you have more protection than any veela outside of Bulgaria? Go for what you want Draco.”

He nodded. “I think for now I’ll get myself another cup of tea.”

He took his cup and saucer into the kitchen. Potter had his back to him and was up to his elbows in suds. Draco placed the china onto the island and slid behind the other man. He rested one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip. He let his head fall onto his shoulder as he wrapped his wings around both of them. Harry paused in washing the dishes. “Draco?”

“I’m glad you’re here, Harry. I won’t have made it through this weekend without you.”

Harry felt like he’d been hit in the chest by a warming spell. He felt a real smile pull at his lips. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Harry left for work after he finished the dishes. He gave Malfoy a quick peck on the cheek before they headed downstairs. Malfoy began to open up his book shop while Narcissa readied the Apothecary.

Harry apparated to his office as soon as he was on the street. His robes were hanging on the back of his office door, where he’d left them on Friday night. He pulled them on making sure they covered his shirt. Jeans and dragonhide boots were perfectly adequate for Auror's work.

He was there a full hour and a half early earlier than anyone else. But it gave him some time to look over the reports from the weekend.

He knew at least two of them were the ones he and Ron had filed about Jamie’s disappearance. Harry sighed. He wondered if Ginny had told Ron why he wasn’t there last night. If he was greeted with a punch or a hex this morning, he supposed he’d have his answer.

The reports were mostly normal things, some petty thievery, or a couple of drunken assaults. A lot of citations were given for illegal magical creature related incidents, illegal hippogriff parking, interference with the owl post, illegal importation of dragon products. Huh- at least the last one was interesting. Harry signed off on a couple more reports before he reached one that wasn’t flagged as a crime but rather a sighting.

The tip was anonymous, but they had left an address on the file using a concealment spell. Death Eater Augustus Rookwood had been spotted in Knockturn Alley on Friday night. Rookwood was the only Death Eater’s still at large from his breakout in 96’. The man had been at large for eleven years. The last reports Harry had seen he was in Bulgaria in the Veela colonies, which had no extradition with the British Ministry.

The recorded statement made it seem like the witness wasn’t completely sure of what the saw. It wasn’t much to go on, but Harry would take Ron with him when he arrived to try to talk to the witness again. If Rookwood was back something serious could be going on.

Harry leaned back in his chair and looked up at the clock. It would still be a few minutes before anyone else arrived. Perhaps he had enough time to run to a café on the corner and get a cup of coffee. He hadn’t had any yet, Draco didn’t keep it.

He thought back to this morning. Warmth filled his chest. That feeling tugged at a thought in his mind. Pulling his wand, Harry let the feeling of bliss overtake him, the warmth of Draco pressed against his back, whispering words of appreciation in his ear. How it felt to hold their sons in his arms.

“Expecto Patronum” he whispered. He watched as the white wisps pulled from his wand and took the shape of a sea eagle spread it’s wings protectively over it’s nest.

Harry laughed. Draco would be furious to learn he cause his Patronus to form into a bird.

He continued to watch the bird entranced. He groomed his feathers with his beak, making sure they were in their proper place. It reminded him of how the Veela would do something similar to his and their chicks wings but, with his hands rather than a beak.

Watching the physically embodiment of the happiness he’d found with Draco, Harry lost track of time.

Ron opened the door. “Morning-“

He paused when he saw the bird sitting on Harry’s desk. Realizing what was going on he stepped further in and closed the door behind him. The bird turned to Ron an squawked, flapping it’s wings defensively to ward off the man from his desk.

“How long has that be changed?”

Harry hummed. “Today. I was just goofing around trying to figure out why I couldn’t cast one the past few days.”

Even Ron wasn’t completely too thick to put together all he’d seen. “Would Malfoy be pissed off if he knew that hugging you would make you have a bird for a patronus?”

Harry smirked. “Absolutely furious.”

Ron moved to sit in the chairs in front of his desk, but the Eagle clearly did not want him any closer. It hopped to the chair and began to nipp and flap its wings. The redhead jumped back. “Shite, alright fine, bloody bird.”

He went to sit on the couch.

“Does Ginny know you’re in love with him?”

The eagle dissolved away. Harry shrugged. “Probably, I didn’t explicitly tell her. She was angrier I kept the fact that Jamie is my son.”

Ron looked surprised. “Bloody hell, the boy we rescued?”

Harry nodded.

“No, wonder you ran like you had a death wish.” Ron leaned back with a sigh. “I don’t know to congratulate you for the kid or be pissed off for keeping it from me and Gin.”

“Does Herm know?”

Harry nodded. “Draco told her not me. But don’t take it out on her apparently, Draco made he vow not to tell.”

“Gin, told us you had an emergency at work come up. But I knew she was lying, I mean you would have called me into or at least told me what was up.”

“Honestly, I think she was more upset about me paying him than the chicks.”

“Chicks?”

“Er. Yeah, we have two other kids, Scorpius and Albus, they’re both about a year old.”

Ron blinked. “How long have you been keeping him up?”

“About two and a half years.”

“Blimey Harry, how much are you paying him?”

“1000 galleon”

Ron shrugged. “That’s not that bad, he must give you a discount ‘cause he fancies you.”

“a month.” Harry blushed.

Ron gaped. “12,000 a year. Are you mad? You’re paying him the same as senior Aurors! Bloody Hell are you even taking any of your own salary?”

Harry rubbed the back of his head. “The thing is I don’t rightly know.”

“How are you even staying afloat? No wonder I’d be pissed too.”

“Well, the thing is, I don’t know how much I actually make.”

“What?!”

“Well, I never really wanted Ginny or anyone to feel uncomfortable, so you know I just never let on how much money we have.”

“Oh for fucks sake, Harry, what did you tell her?”

He pulled at his hair. “I told her that I get paid 3000 a month for being Head Auror.”

Ron gave him this look. “You do remember how good she is at hexes right? When you are in the red what do you think she’s going to do?”

Harry shrugged. “I doubt we’ll every be in the red.”

“You don’t even know how much you make. How can you say that?” Ron was standing now.

“Well um… you know Sleekeazy potion?”

Ron nodded.

“The parent company which makes it was founded by my grandfather. He sold the company well before my dad was born but he um well he kept some of patents on the most profitable potions. The patents’ pay into the Potter accounts every year.”

“Wait so how much money are we talking?”

Harry couldn’t look Ron in the eye. “It was about 4 million when I finished Hogwarts.”

Ron just stared at him in silence. “Why in the fuck do you even work?”

“It gives me something to do?”

Ron rubbed his forehead. “You have to tell her. She is going to murder you.”

Harry rubbed his own face. “Honestly, I might let her.”

It was later that after lunch (Ron made Harry buy) that they arrived at the address listed by the witness. Ron grumbled as he leaned against the door. “Why the fuck do people always think it’s better to be anonymous. With a tip like this obviously we’re gonna send the Head Auror to follow up. Honestly, the press will likely snap a picture of them anyway.”

Harry shrugged and knocked on the door again. ”Maybe that’s what they want.”

They waited a moment there was no answer at the door.

Ron shrugged. “Should we just unlock it?”

Harry huffed. “Well if she’s rattled then, we don’t want her throwing curses do we.”

“Right.” Ron readied the door as Harry waved his hand over the door unlocking it.

“Show off.” Ron muttered as Harry counted down their entry on his fingers.

They burst through the apartment door, to find a scene that looked more like the height of Voldemort’s power. The informant was suspended by all four limbs in the air. She had been disemboweled and her severed head placed where her organs should have been. Agatha Srumbee, Harry recognized her. She had been one of the prisoners at Malfoy manor. If anyone knew a Death Eater when they saw one it would be her.

Judging from the flies and the dried blood she’d been there for more than a day. Harry pulled his wand as they moved to clear the room. Ron called from the kitchen in the back. “Clear, theirs an open window so we aren’t going to find them via flue-tracking.”

Harry cleared the bedroom and circled back to the living-room where her body was. Written on the wall in scratches and blood were the words, “Blood Traitors Shall Die.”

Ron circled back in. “We’d better get the curse breakers. Probably rigged the body. We don’t want another Reevers incident.”

Harry nodded. “You guard the door. I don’t want the Profit putting this on the front page. I’ll send for the others.”

He headed for the stairs. “Mate, where are you going?”

“I want this whole complex on lock down. Someone in this building had to see something. There could be accomplices in place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if anyone wants my maths I can post a link to the spreadsheet I used to figure out the Potter worth. Also, this took a crime novel twist I wasn't planning on but hey character surprise you.  
> As always let me know what you think. I plan on updating a bunch of stuff over the next few weeks so stay tuned if you follow my other fics.


	4. Summer 2006 continued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Murder. Que CSI:SUV theme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the additional tags added. If you can watch Criminal minds or CSI you should be fine.

Harry stepped out of the building before apparating into the Auror office.

He landed with a pop and a loud thump as his feet landed on a desk. Every Auror turned around. “Listen up. We have a murder and torture suspected to be committed by a convicted Death Eater. But be on the lookout for anyone holding a grudge against ‘blood traitors’.”

He flicked his wand at a chalkboard which began to write out Agatha Srumbee’s name and all known relevant information. “I need curse-breakers to the scene immediately, we think the apartment or the body may be booby-trapped.”

He pointed at two of the junior Auror’s. “You two. Get there now. Tell Auror Weasley to apparate back immediately. No one enters until the Curse-breakers give the clear.”

They nodded and waited for him to finish. “Whatever you think you’re working on, you’re not. This case is above everything. Anything you’re not sure of run it by me. And if I hear any details beyond ‘a witch was murdered in a muggle apartment building’ in the Profit. I will personally arrest that person. Am I clear?”

‘Yes, Sir’s’ filled the air. Everyone scrambled.

Harry jumped down from the desk and headed for his office. Ron appeared moments later with a pop. “Adelaide, Moss, Cooper, join me in my office. He waved Ron to follow.”

He closed the door behind them. “Cooper. I want you to compile a list of everyone who could be identified as a blood traitor that resides in our jurisdiction. I also need that list ranked based on how much publicity they have or would get if killed. It’s a big job so pick three of the Junior Aurors to help you. You get the final say on the rankings as the Profit Liason. But I do not want you to answer anything the Profit asks. Hell, I don’t even want them to know the victim name or what city she resided in.”

Cooper nodded. “Can I have Viswan? I know she’s a Senior Auror, but she specializes in humanoid creature crimes. Plenty of sentient creatures’ value blood purity and sided with the Death Eaters, some of them might few some of their own as traitors.”

Harry nodded. “I think it’s a good idea we don’t know what we’re dealing with yet. We don’t know if the suspect is even acting alone and he’s been hiding in a Veela colony for several years. Make three lists. One with wizards, one with sentients, and another in combination. You’re dismissed.”

Cooper nodded and headed out.

“Ron, I want you to take Moss with you. Gather everyone up the whole Weasley clan and get them on lockdown at the Burrow. Then you and Moss will stay there until we can figure out Rookwood’s next move.”

“Mate come on.”

“Ron the Weasley’s are in the spotlight. You know how Death Eaters think, they go for shock and awe. Killing a Weasley would do just that.”

Ron sighed and nodded. “You’re right. We’re one of the few Pureblood families that came out better for siding with you. I’ll get Bill from downstairs to help. But what about Charlie.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “I say Godspeed to any idiot that would try to take on a man who works with dragons for a living. And he’s in Romania I can’t do anything while he’s out of our jurisdiction.”

“Will you be coming to the Burrow later?”

Harry shook his head. “No, Gin-“

“She’ll be worried, mate.”

Harry sighed. “Tell her what’s happened. I don’t want to worry anyone else. But she’ll understand this case is big. I’m gonna have to be here.”

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck mate. I’ll let her know.”

He and Moss left the room.

Adelaide started to fidget. “What would you like me to do, sir?”

Adelaide was a rookie. He reminded Harry a lot of Colin Creevey, fair-haired and eager to please.”

Harry moved to behind his desk. “I wanted to ask you something delicate. It’s about a rumor I heard around the bull-pen.”

“I’m not having an affair with Gaffney! It was a one-time thing” He blurted out with a red face.

“Er… well, good to know, but that’s not what I meant. I heard you were part-veela. Is that true?”

Adelaide blinked clearly embarrassed about his confession. “Oh um yeah. My Gran was full Veela.”

Harry nodded. “Do you have any Veela powers?”

“I can’t make people fall in love if that’s what you mean.”

Harry shook his head. “No, I mean do you have talons?”

The younger man blinked. “I do.”

Harry nodded. “I think, I think Rookwood, had help from a Veela. The apartment was broken into via a window on the seventh floor. And there were scratch marks on the wall and the victim was disemboweled.

I know they won’t match up perfectly and this would be your first crime scene. But I need to match those marks to a species.”

Adelaide nodded. “I can handle it, sir.”

Harry nodded. “I have to warn you this, is one of the worse crime scenes I’ve ever seen.”

Adelaide stood straight. “I can handle it sir.”

Harry nodded. “Alright, We’ll leave as soon as the curse breakers give the clear.”

The Head Auror pulled out a few sheets of parchment and started writing notes. He needed Draco to lock down the shops and stay safe. He also made a note to Ginny to give her a heads up.

Adelaide took one look at the crime scene and fled to the nearest trash can. Harry patted the boy’s back. “It's okay. Everyone throws up at their first dead body.”

He spits to remove the taste from his mouth. “Her head is where her intestines should be.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah… this is… well, I suppose it’s the work of evil. Are you going to make it?”

He nodded.

“If you can’t, I have a backup. But I’d rather have an Auror.”

Adelaide stood. “I can do it. You just need to compare talon marks to the victim’s wounds and the wall, right?”

“Yes. We can start with the wall first to make it easier.”

They walked into the room. The younger man shielded his eyes trying not to catch a glimpse of the gore. They stopped at the wall where the culprit had run out of blood and used scratch makes to complete the rest. Adelaide held out his hands and allowed his fingers to elongate into bird-like claws. He hovered his talon over the plaster.

“Just from the looks of it I would have gone with a Werewolf, but a veela could still have made these.”

Harry nodded. “We’ll not that in the case file. Are you good to look at the disembowelment?”

The blond sighed. “I’ll try.”

They turned towards the body, which had been placed onto the floor, while the Aurors processed the scene. Adelaide was trying to look anywhere but the victim’s mauled stomach.

Harry watched him closely with his hand on a bag in his pocket. He couldn’t risk the rookie contaminating their crime scene. Adelaide cocked his head. “Look at her shoulder. Can we turn her over?”

Harry pulled his wand and levitate the body. They peered up at her back. “Do you see those laceration marks there that are just deep bloody marks?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah.”

“Those are Veela marks. Or a baby hippogriff, but my money’s on a Veela.”

Harry paused. “Do they attack from the back?”

Adelaide nodded. “For larger targets or prey which might fight back.”

“So we can definitely confirm we have at least one Veela suspect?”

“Or a very large bird.”

Harry smiled and patted Adelaide on the back. “Good work. You can head back to your desk now. If you need to go talk to someone at the psych-unit at St. Mungo’s, I will understand.”

Harry accompanied the body to the morgue at St. Mungo’s before returning to the office.

He alerted his team there was possibly a Veela involved and/or assisting Rookwood. “But make sure to keep digging through our victim’s personal life I don’t want anything missed. For all, we know this could be someone trying to frame Rookwood for their crime.”

Harry retreated to his office to find Kreature with a plate of food. “What are you doing here?”

Kreature turned. “Master Malfoy asked me to bring Mister Potter some lamb.”

Harry noticed how Draco was Master and he was Mister.

“You can leave it on the desk. I’ll get to it in a minute.”

“Mister Potter should have it before it gets cold. Master Malfoy worked hard on it.” The elf stood on his toes to slide the covered plate onto his desk.

Harry paused. “You didn’t make it?”

Kreature turned. “No, Master Malfoy has not permitted me to make food since Mister Potter has been staying with us.”

Harry pondered. ‘Why would Draco choose to cook for him? Perhaps it was a Veela thing or perhaps he knew of Kreature’s dislike for him and was afraid he would poison him.’ Whatever the reason he would ask him later.

“Give Draco my thanks. And tell him I’ll be staying here for the night.” He said unbuttoning his robes.

Kreature was gone with a snap. He pulled his robed from his shoulders and hung them on the back of the door, before settling down to eat his dinner.

A few minutes later, a pop sound alerted him of Kreature’s return. The elf didn’t acknowledge him. He just placed a pillow and a folded blanket onto the sofa, before disappearing once again.

Harry noticed a slip of parchment atop the pillow. He shoved a bite of parsnip into his mouth before moving to retrieve it. He read it with a smile as he returned to his desk.

Draco’s delicately written words spelled out a loving yet insulting message.

“We can’t have St. Potter die of hypothermia in his drafty office now, can we. I expect an explanation when this case is resolved. That is to say if you solve the case. Until I hear further from you, Mother and I have resolved to leave the shops closed, as you requested. ”

Harry shook his head the note was written in Slytherin green ink on a torn paper with Malfoy crested letterhead.

He forked another bite of vegetables into his mouth before pulling out his own parchment and writing a note to Malfoy.

“Thank you for the blankets and the lamb. I assure you I’ve slept in far worse conditions. I’ll let you know WHEN I solve the case and can return.

An old friend of your favorite aunt arrived in town today, let me know if they pop in. I don’t want to miss them. I’d love to play some chess with them out near the woods.

Love, Harry.”

He hoped Draco got the message. He knew the Veela ardently followed the arrests of Death Eaters. He kept a list posted in the kitchen of all still at large Death Eaters. Rookwood was the last of Voldemort’s lieutenants walking free; Draco would know his name.

Harry slipped out and gave the note to one of the station's owls. Many of the Aurors had gone home. Only the night-shift remained, along with Cooper and Viswan’s task force. Cooper was still looking over some things.

“Got anything I should know about yet.”

The other man looked up. “Not yet. We have a preliminary list of creatures Viswan just finished. She went to grab some coffee and pastries from muggle London. Said she’d start working on ranking them when she got back.”

Harry nodded. “Let me know when it’s done. Also, she knows a great spell on how to transfigure a desk into a bed.”

Cooper let out a sigh. “I might need it.”

Harry waved as he started towards his office. “In the meantime, I’ll be here on the couch.”

“You’ve got some dedication. Won’t Mrs. Potter be upset you’re not with the Weasley clan?”

Harry shrugged. “Probably shouldn’t tell the Profit Liason, but I was already on the couch before this case.”

Cooper snorted. “Don’t worry. I’m not sending them a thing until we have an arrest.”

Harry nodded and retreated into his office. “I appreciate that. G’night.”

He kicked his shoes off and laid down on his couch. He’d bought the thing for headaches, of course his stress headaches were nothing like when his scar hurt. But they still could make it hard to be upright. Harry pulled the blanket over him and noxed the lights. One would have thought the spell was a sleeping one because Harry was out like a light.

He awoke to rapping at his door.

Adelaide poked his head through the crack. The younger man’s appearance meant Harry had slept until the morning shift arrived or at least the third shift.

“Sorry sir, we’ve got another body. And the Profit is already on this one.”

Harry rubbed his eyes and reached for his glasses. “Fuck.”

_This day had already begun and already it sucked._

Harry climbed from the couch and put on his glasses. Shuffling across the floor he went to pull on his robes. Today though he didn’t even bother to fasten them.

Opening his office door he walked into the bullpen. Cooper was leaned against his desk talking to Auror Burke in a somber tone.

Burke was one of the junior Aurors, Cooper had snagged for his team.

“What’s happened?”

Burke fiddled with his robes. “Madam Malkin came in to report one of her employee’s missing. She didn’t show up and when she went to her apartment to check on her no one opened the door. I know you said the Srumbee case was our only priority, but we started taking down the info and well I guess you could call it a hunch-“

Cooper cut in. “The victim is Nona Lloyd, a half Veela, has a connection to Rookwood. She was on Viswan’s list of possible targets.”

Burke nodded. “So, we went over to Lloyd’s apartment and well. It’s the same as before, Sir.”

“What was her connection to him?”

“She’s on our list of witnesses to call to testify against him, when we catch him. She was imprisoned at Malfoy Manor.”

Harry scrubbed a hand down his face. “Alright, what’s the address?”

Adelaide perked up. “Oh, there’s no need for you to go over there, we already have a suspect in custody.”

That surprised him. “Really?”

Cooper nodded. “Yep. We found several white Veela feathers at the crime scene and the last appointment in her daybook was to a Veela’s shop. Someone who knew she’d be a witness.”

The two junior Aurors nodded. “Yep, and when we went to question him. He’d closed up shop and wouldn’t let us in.”

Something pulled in Harry’s gut. That sense of dread and suspicion he used to get at Hogwarts. He grabbed a seat and pulled it out. “Please tell me they aren’t bringing in Draco Malfoy.”

“How…how did you know?”

Harry groaned and pulled at his hair. “I’m so fucking screwed. I need crime scene details now. Before he gets here.”

“Er… what kind of details? Everything was exactly the same as the last one.”

“Everything? Was the writing on the wall the same?”

Adelaide pulled out a notebook. “No, this one said: The Slut Lied.”

Harry paused. “Do we have a transcript of Lloyd’s testimony?”

Cooper jumped up and started combing through a file. “We pulled it when we were looking at her as a potential target.”

He rifled through the paper and pulled out a piece of parchment. He handed it to Harry. “We also have a Penceive Memory cataloged of the event.”

Harry opened the file and started reading. “He raped her.”

The other Auror’s turned. “What?”

“That’s what’s in her file. He told her to either have sex with him or he’d use the Cruciatus curse on her.”

The four men looked at each other. “That’s a major difference from the last one. The last one was a hate crime, this one is a sex crime. Those are completely different motives.”

Harry dropped the file on the desk. “What else is different?”

Burke bit his lip. “We found feathers this time.”

“Why?”

Cooper snapped. “There was food in the trash fresher than the body. They stayed in the house afterward.”

“That would make sense if they arrived from Bulgaria a few days ago and didn’t have permanent lodgings.”

“Burke Adelaide, I want you two to round up the rest of the list of witnesses. Bring them here. I’m not taking any risks with protective custody. I think these killings are house cleaning.”

The pair nodded. Burke was standing closure to the desk. He snatched the witness list from the Rookwood file.

Harry turned to Cooper. “What does The Profit know?”

“Just that Nona Lloyd was murdered Sunday night. And that we are bringing Draco Malfoy for questioning.”

“Sunday night.” Harry sighed. “Malfoy has an alibi.”

Cooper gave him a strange look.

Burke and Adelaide stopped in their tracks and turned back to the Head Auror. “That’s how you knew about my talons; how you knew what the scratches looked like; He’s who you meant when you said you had a backup.”

Harry just nodded.

Of course, at that moment Malfoy threw open the double doors. The aurors who had ‘arrested’ him were trailing after.

“How fucking dare you send your goons after me!”

Kreature was at his heels with Jamie toddling beside him. Harry could just make out Narcissa with Scorpius and Albus behind Draco’s flared wings.

Harry stood up so fast he knocked his chair backward. “Draco, I swear I didn’t know.”

“Oh really, do you think I’m stupid, or are you really that incompetent?” Draco was in full Veela mode. His talons were out, and his wings were extended to their full width-nearly 14ft. He was knocking over stacks of paper on desks.

Harry noticed he was the only Auror without his wand out. He figured it was probably for the best. Draco wouldn’t hurt him, but he might hurt someone else. Of course, Harry also wasn’t intimidated by him at all… well, except sexually.

“They were already bringing you in when I was told we had another murder.”

Draco was very close now almost chest to chest. “Then, order them to let me go!”

“Er…I can’t do that.”

“And why the hell not!?” The Veela squawked.

The sound of crying stopped the conversation. They turned to James who was in a fit of tears. Draco folded in his wings and rushed to his son.

“Jamie-”

The boy huffed. “Stop yelling at Daddy!”

The three-year-old rushed past Draco and ran to Harry. Every Auror in the room’s eyes went wide before they averted them.

He bent down to pull his son into his arms. _Great so the whole office now knew about his affair with Draco._ He heard one of the arresting officers turn to another and whisper. “We’re getting sacked.”

Harry sighed. With his free arm he motioned to the Aurors to crowd into the bullpen. They complied but still kept their distance from Draco.

“I understand how the evidence led you all to Draco. But fortunately for him, I was with him at the time of the murder-“

“Yes, lucky me.” Draco drawled.

Harry ignored him and continued. “Based on the evidence we definitely have a Veela which has been present at both crime scenes, additionally, both of the victims were on the list of witnesses set to testify against Rookwood. For this reason, I want everyone on that witness list brought in for their own protection- no exceptions. Draco, that includes you and your mother.”

The blond started to rebuttal but just crossed his arms instead. “Kreature, go retrieve my egg.”

The Aurors shared more looks.

Harry straightened his shoulders. “From here on out Draco and Narcissa will be considered witnesses and informants as to Rookwood and the Veela state of mind, not suspects. Is that clear?”

Mutters moved through the senior Aurors.

“I said is that clear.” Harry raised his voice.

Finally, the chorus of ‘yes, sirs’ came through.

“You and your mother can make yourselves comfortable in my office,” Harry said in a voice low enough only Draco could hear. “We can talk more in there.”

Draco looked to his mother and motioned for her to follow him. He reached for Jamie but the boy shook his head before burying his head in Harry’s shoulder and covering himself with his tiny wings. The blond veela sighed and entered the office without his oldest child.

Harry sighed. _Every bleeding thing in his life was public knowledge. Including his family with Draco._ He turned to his Aurors. “So er…um… this is Jamie. He’s three. And he’s my son…obviously.”

One of the junior aurors raised their hand. “Sir, if I may ask, Malfoy has an alibi, but that doesn’t explain why he was acting so dodgy. Does he know something we don’t?”

“He knows too much, I’m afraid. He witnessed firsthand Rookwood’s acts at his family home. Draco avidly tracks which death eater’s we apprehend. See, he fears for our sons’ safety. He was supposed to birth Voldemort’s children. How do you all think the remaining Death Eater’s would react if they found out he had mine instead.”

Looks of agreement and sympathy went through the group. “I sent Draco a message after the first killing, explaining he needed to go on lockdown and a few hints that it was Rookwood. I was afraid he would be the target.”

“Cooper, can you assign everyone to bring in the witnesses, I want them working in teams of three. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

Harry entered the office to find Draco and Narcissa busy building a nest out of blankets for the egg. Kreature had retrieved it and was popping in and out with more blankets.

“Draco, do you think maybe you or your mother could look over some of the details of the case with a veela, perspective?”

He looked up from fussing with some blankets. “I can try. I’m sure I can’t offer much insight into the mind of a deranged veela.”

Harry nodded and sat down on the couch with Jamie in his lap. “I was also wondering if you could compile a list of everyone you think Rookwood would have a grudge against.”

He hummed pondering the position of a pillow before moving it to behind the egg. “Possibly, I can tell you who all was at the manor who witnessed things. But my father knew more about his personal life than I did.”

“Narcissa, would you have any insights.”

She shook her head. “I was largely kept out of meeting with the inner circle. I overheard some things. But I’m not sure they will be of much help to you.”

“Any information is helpful. I’ll give you a minute to settle in.” Harry ducked back out of the room.

He noticed Viswan had was standing over behind her desk. He motioned her over.

“Good work on the list, I want you to supervise the interviews with all the sentient witnesses brought in for protection. You have the most experience with sentients, you know which of my aurors will clash with different species.”

She gave him a cheeky grin. “I think you have a bit more hands-on experience than I do sir.”

Harry huffed. “That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing or know how to get Draco to share things with me.”

She hummed and offered him a cream horn she’d picked up from a shop the previous night. He took it happily. “I’m not so sure. Draco came in without a single scratch to anyone.”

“He can’t, with his parole, I’d have no choice but to send him to Azkaban.”

She shook her head. “No that’s not it. Veela are very proud. If he didn’t like or trust you, he wouldn’t have given you time to explain he’d have just ignored you for your perceived betrayal of him.”

Harry raised a brow. “So you heard that?”

She scoffed. “Potter, everyone in the ministry heard that. But think of it as a veela way of bringing you flowers at work.”

“You’re saying by yelling at me, he’s really saying he cares.”

“I’d say it’s a bit more of than caring.” She winked.

This perplexed Harry even as she changed topics. “I could use some help with the sentients.”

Harry nodded. “I’ll have Hermione come in when Ron gets here.”

He took a bite of the cream horn and turned for his office.

Before he ever reached the door, it swung open. Draco glided out. His wings were once again neatly folded and meticulously groomed. Along with his silky hair only a few strands were out of place, which Harry knew were just for aesthetic. Albus was in his arms.

“You wanted to speak with me Auror Potter.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Please, don’t pretend, everyone knows we’re shagging, just call me Harry.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Potter, what did you want to ask me about?”

The shorter man rubbed the back of his neck alright, Draco was still upset with him then.

“I wanted to go over the case with you and see if you can think of anything that stands out in Rookwood’s behavior or his veela accomplice.”

“I keep hearing about this Veela but I am yet to see evidence of one’s involvement.”

“Er… right. This way.” Harry led him to a board with various pictures and names linked together different colored strings weaved through connecting them.

“The Scrumbee crime scene was seven stories up in a muggle building. And a window was left open. Now that doesn’t indicate a Veela, but the scratched-out message appears to be made with veela talons.”

Draco snapped his head from one of the crime photos. “How can you tell they’re from a veela.”

Harry wanted to comment on the condition of his back after Sunday night with Draco, but he refrained as some of the other Auror’s were indiscreetly listening in. He was going to have to host another workshop on covert information gathering. He motioned to Adelaide with his head. “The blond boy over there, he’s a quarter Veela. Has the talons too. I had him go in and match them up.”

Draco smirked. “I bet he was so eager to please you wasn’t he?”

He knew Draco was just trying to get a rise from him, but he couldn’t help it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Draco smirked. “What is it with you and blondes? Me, the Creevey brothers, Delacour, Diggory, Lovegood, the Profit woman, your little Auror over there- What is it about us blondes that gets under your skin and triggers that god-complex of yours?”

Harry smirked back he reached over and stroked Al’s hair. “Clearly, it’s the other way around. There’s something about me that just attracts them. Cause there’s only one that really gets under my skin.”

Draco hummed. “I’ll keep that in mind next time you go irate over an article Skeeter writes.”

Harry quirked his lips. “Okay, maybe two, but I only like the way _you_ get under my skin.”

“You’re little Auror has been avoiding looking at me since I got here. But he’s still looking at you.”

“I’m his boss of course he’s looking at me. And you stormed in here like a dragon on a rampage, you made everyone nervous.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “What did this Veela message even say?”

“Well it was half done in blood, but when they ran out, they scratched out the rest.” Harry pointed with his wand to one of the pictures.

With Albus on one hip, he turned to the board. “Blood traitors shall die. That’s pretty standard Death Eater rhetoric. Anyone could know that. I fail to see how this has a connection to Rookwood.”

“Er… sorry, Ron and I found the body when we went to follow up on a witness’s sighting of him. She was killed not long after the report was filed.”

Draco cocked his head and glanced around before stretching his wings ever so slightly. “I suppose he is back and murdering people. Or has cronies doing his dirty work.”

Harry nodded.

“Show me, what the murder I was arrested for yielded?”

“Nona Lloyd, also murdered in her apartment, Sunday night. She was on our list of witnesses against Rookwood. He…er…”

“I know what he did to her, Potter. I was there. I know what he did to every woman under thirty that we kept down in the cellar. I listened to them scream every night… It was nice to hear.”

Other Auror’s stopped and stared at Draco with blatantly disgusted looks. The veela paid them no mind as he looked over the gore of the crime scene photos.

“It was a weird sense of solidarity, I myself couldn’t scream, Voldemort would have killed me where I laid.” He kissed Al’s head.

Harry watched his Aurors quickly advert their eyes. Draco continued. “This makes no sense though, ‘the slut lied’, Rookwood wouldn’t say that. He knew what he was doing he had no illusions they enjoyed it. That’s why he liked it. ”

Harry was listening to Draco get to his conclusion, but he was already there. He had just realized as Head Auror he’d made a major error. Because the entire Weasley clan had just walked in the door. Ginny Potter, nee Weasley was staring daggers into Harry and Draco. He swallowed waiting for her to make the first move.

“This almost sounds like-”

“Like a jealous lover,” Harry supplied.

Draco turned around looking to see what Harry was staring at. “Yes, exactly like that.”


	5. Summer 2006 Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan.

Hermione and Ron looked awkwardly back and forth between them. It was hard to know how they should be trying to protect. If Ginny moved against Malfoy, while he was holding his child, he was within his rights to protect himself. On the other hand, if she went at Harry, she’d have the whole Auror force to deal with.

Said Aurors seemed to sense the tension in the air. Or perhaps the previous announcement of Harry’s affair made the trained investigators weary of having both of their boss’ lovers in the bullpen at one time.

Harry looked to Draco. He had wrapped his wings around himself shielding Albus from her view. But Harry knew she’d already seen the boy.

Unfortunately, Molly Weasley had no idea what was going on. “Ginny, be nice. After all your dear-Harry did testify at his trial.”

Ginny continued to glare.

“Gee, I wonder why?” She muttered. Hermione paled.

Her mother gave her a sour look. “You could be mature and put his past behind you. Harry certainly has.”

“More like under him.” One of the aurors whispered to their partner.

Unfortunately, Ginny seemed to hear him. She whirled around, “What did you say?”

Ron laid a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down. “Ginny, don’t do something half-cocked.”

Ginny paused, then her face turned even redder. “You knew!” She hissed.

Ron blanched. “Merlin’s tits. You knew.”

He tried to defend himself. He held his hands up defensively “I just found out yesterday.”

“What did he make an announcement to the whole office?” Ginny hissed.

Ginny stormed across the room towards her husband. Harry backed into the desk behind him.

Draco smirked against Albus’ hair. “Where’s that Gryffindor courage, Potter? Didn’t you face a basilisk?”

“Yeah. At least I knew it would talk to me before striking.”

Ginny stood in front of her husband. “Harry, can I speak to you in private?”

She didn’t wait for his reply, instead, she turned on her heels and strode for his office.

Draco stepped in her path.

She narrowed her eyes. “Haven’t you interfered enough in our marriage Malfoy? Move I need to talk to Harry in private.”

The veela stood tall and sideways. Albus was tucked under his wing and arm on the side closest to the door. “That’s all well and good, Weselette but you can’t do so in his office.”

Her face contorted as if Draco just slapped her. “Fuck off, Malfoy it’s my husband’s office. I’ll enter if I damn well please.”

White wings flared out threateningly. “You will not enter my nest!”

Ginny stepped back. “Your… your nest is here!”

“Temporarily.”

“In Harry’s office.” Ginny turned around and marched over to Harry. He could see the tears forming in her eyes. “I will be downstairs in the Solicitor offices.”

“Gin, this isn’t-”

The crack of her palm striking his cheek echoed throughout the room. Gasps and noises of surprises followed.

“That is the last time you lie to my face, Harry Potter.”

He put his hand to his cheek and watched as the redhead fled out the door to the stairs. He turned to the Weasleys. Other than Ron and Hermione, they looked confused as to what was going on.

Molly rushed over. She reached for his cheek “Harry, are you alright, dear? I don’t know what’s gotten into Ginny.”

Gently Harry pulled her hand away and motioned Draco over. “Mrs. Weasley, you have always been good to me, but I’m afraid this is my fault.”

Harry pulled Albus into his arms. “I kept a lot from her. She has every right to be so cross. This is Draco and I’s third son, Albus.”

Molly gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “Oh, Harry.”

“She needs you right now.” Harry stroked Albus’ curls. “and I need to protect everyone here, including my children.”

Molly nodded. With a hand over her mouth, she turned for the door Ginny had fled through. She pulled Arthur by the sleeve with her.

Harry kept his eyes downcast and turned to Ron. “Ron can you-”

“Yeah, mate, I’ll keep everyone out of the way.” He put his arm around his wife’s shoulder and started to turn towards his siblings.

“Er… can I borrow, ‘mione for a bit?”

The bushy-haired girl turned. “What do you need?”

Harry pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Viswan requested your help. I think she’s having trouble with some of the Sentients under our protection. Seeing you here might help them realize we’re on their side.”

Hermione nodded. “I will try. But I will also not tolerate your Aurors violating the laws that protect them.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Harry turned back to Draco and then the board. “Where were we?”

Draco turned back to the board. “We were discussing the possibility of the Lloyd killing being committed by a jealous lover.”

Harry hummed and nodded. “Can you think of anyone that would fit that description in Rookwood’s life?”

Draco shook his head. “No, the relationships I knew he had, were not romantic. Perhaps it’s a relationship which formed while he was on the run.”

“I’d have to agree, it would also explain how he has a veela helping him kill. But how do you think he got them to do it? Money? Blackmail?”

Draco turned away from Harry. “Don’t be so dramatic. They are probably just in love with him.”

Draco wrote down a few notes on one of the boards with chalk.

The commotion from the other Aurors and the scrap of chalk were the only sounds around the two for a moment.

“Veela can fall in love?”

Draco stood and scoffed. “Of course, we can.”

“Sorry… it’s just…er…I’ve never known a Veela to be in a relationship founded on mutual love.”

Draco stopped writing. He dropped the chalk to the ledge before whipping his hands on an auror’s coat hanging on the back of a chair. “My parents married for love.”

Harry blinked. “I…er, sorry I just assumed it was an arranged marriage.”

“In a way it was, Father was supposed to court and marry my Aunt Bellatrix, but he fell in love with my mother, instead.”

Draco turned back to him. “I suppose that’s the problem with us Veela. We always want what we shouldn’t. Aunt Bella loved a man who was incapable of love, Aunt Andromeda loved a mu-muggle-born, and so did Great-Uncle Lysander. And I know nothing about who Uncle Linus fell for, father always refused to discuss it. I always assumed it meant he ran away with a muggle.”

He paused and shrugged. “Perhaps, my bloodline is just cursed.”

Harry chewed on his bottom lip. “Draco, is it possible for a Veela to fall for someone even if that someone is incapable of causing them to produce eggs?”

“Of course it is-“ The veela paused. “Oh…”

He smirked at Harry. “And here I thought you were just all raw magical power, Potter. There is something in that head of yours isn’t there.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Essentially, what you’re thinking yes. If a Veela was unable to produce eggs with Rookwood, they would likely develop barren nest syndrome. It’s hard to predict what kind of hysteria it will cause, but it’s possible they could blame everyone Rookwood ever had sexual altercations with. They would feel particularly angered or jealous of other veela such as Lloyd.”

Harry nodded. “The veela perpetrator has clearer motivation for being here than Rookwood. I’m thinking that maybe Rookwood’s veela killed Lloyd without consulting Rookwood, but that Rookwood instigated the killing of Scrumbee. He might not even know about it yet.”

Harry turned. “Cooper, can I borough you for a minute?” He yelled across the room.

Cooper came over a second later. “Sir?”

“What does the Profit know about the Lloyd case?”

He held up a hand. “One second.” He pulled out his wand and accio’ed a parchment to him. “Here’s the preliminary draft. They sent it over early. The chief-editor said something about getting your approval.”

He handed the paper to Harry.

“A case of veela-on-veela violence occurred Sunday evening, resulting in the death of Miss Nona Lloyd. The other veela is unknown. However, Aurors were seen bringing former Death Eater and veela paramour of he-who-must-not-be-named, Draco Malfoy in for questioning.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Honestly half the article is about me. What salacious tart wrote this?”

“Actually, I think we can use this,” Harry said grabbing a quill.

“A case of veela-on-veela violence occurred Sunday evening, resulting in the death of Miss Nona Lloyd. The other veela is unknown. However, Aurors were seen bringing ~~former Death Eater and~~ veela ~~paramour of he-who-must-not-be-named,~~ Draco Malfoy in for questioning. _Additionally, other witnesses and possible targets of the unknown veela- assailant were brought into protective custody. Aurors suspect that the assailant may be trying to eliminate witnesses to Death Eater at large, Augustus Rookwood’s crimes. Aurors are asking for any information regarding Rookwood’s witnesses or who might have information regarding the Nona Lloyd murder._ ”

Harry handed the paper back to Cooper, who read over it. He raised his eyebrows. “This is much more than I thought you’d want to release.”

“There is a chance Rookwood doesn’t know what his companion has done. And we have the people we know would be his choice targets here. This means they might make a mistake. Or have to venture into public.”

Cooper nodded. “I’ll send it out, sir.”

Harry sat at his desk. He held Scorpius about his waist above his head letting the baby flap his wings. Draco sat reading a book one hand holding Jame’s ankle to keep him from flying around the room. Using overturned teacups and a nut, Narcissa was keeping Albus very entertained.

There was a knock at the door, followed by Adelaide’s head poking through the crack. “Sorry, to disturb you sir, but we’re taking orders to get food for all the witnesses and Aurors working late. We thought you and the Malfoy’s might want something.”

Draco closed his book and tossed it to the sofa. “Sounds lovely, I’m famished.”

The veela eyed the young Auror with suspicion as he walked into the room, clipboard and quill in hand. “What would you like?”

“Fish will suit me just fine thank you.”

“Fried or grilled?”

Draco blinked. “I would prefer it uncooked.”

Adelaide paused. “Er…like sushi.”

“He means a whole fish right from the market.” Harry cut in putting Scorpius down on his desk. “It’s a full veela thing. I suspect the other veela or part veela witnesses might want something similar. I’ll just take fish and chips. Narcissa?”

“Oh, I’ll just have the same as Draco.”

Adelaide scribbled down some more notes. “And what about the tikes?”

Draco pulled Jamie from the air into his lap. “Jamie, what do you want for dinner?”

That got his attention. “Can da make cookies?”

Draco pursed his lips. He ran a hand through Jamie’s curls. “You can’t have cookies for dinner, and I can’t make them now, but we can make more when Harry says we can go home.”

Jamie scrunched his nose, he turned to Harry. “You make tuna-a-lid?”

Harry snapped. “I can’t make it, but we can get you some.”

He looked up to Draco, “Can Scor and Al eat it if it’s not our recipe.”

Throwing a lock of hair over his shoulder, Draco sighed. “If they must. It won’t be good for them, but hopefully, it will just be for tonight.”

The young auror smiled. “I’ll let you know when we pick it up.”

“Yes, yes.” Draco quickly stood and closed the door. He leaned against it. “Can you believe that little tart!”

Narcissa tutted. “Just a couple of generations of breeding with wizards and self-control goes up the flue.”

“Hang on, Adelaide is one of my best junior aurors, he doesn’t deserve the things you’re calling him. And I’m fond of him, so cut him some slack.”

Draco turned on him, his wings flared ever so slightly. “Fond!”

Narcissa mixed the teacups without looking up. “Dear, you’re letting your aura out.”

“How can I not, after that slag stunk up my nest?”

“What are you going on about, Draco, it smells just the same as before?”

The veela huffed and ruffled his wings. “Maybe to you, but your auror gets practically wet every time he gets near you. And his allure might not be strong enough to make people fall in love, but he definitely has one. Trollop.”

He crossed his arms. “I thought Veela, didn’t believe being sexually promiscuous was a bad thing.”

Narcissa piped up. “Having many sexual partners is fine, but being unable to control your allure, is shameful and vulgar. His grandmother would be ashamed! I would be… Draco, if any of your-“

The younger veela cut her off, “Oh, I’ll pluck out their feathers myself.”

Harry smirked. “So let me get this right? You’re not jealous because he wants me, just pissed off that he allured up the room?”

“Why would I be jealous of him?” Draco’s air of pride was showing.

Harry smirked. “So if I called him back in here and bent him over my desk, you wouldn’t have any personal objections.”

Draco turned around. “Of course, I would I would hope you would have the decency to keep it in your trousers around our hatchlings!”

Draco flung himself to the sofa, Jamie still balanced under his arm. He rubbed at his temple. “I suppose, I would be a bit jealous, you do have rather a nice cock and ass.” He winked at Harry.

Draco let go of Jamie and walked over to the desk. Leaning across it he was right in Harry’s face. “Although, I suppose, if you let me join in I would allow it.”

“So Veelas are all for sharing?”

“We are if we think we can get something out of it.” Draco practically purred.

“He is cute isn’t he?” Harry knew if he and Draco kept this up they would be sneaking off to some broom cupboard to shag. “Sandwiched between two handsome, blonds, sounds like a fun night.”

The veela proper his elbows up in the table and placed his head in his hands. “Potter, you really do have a fetish for blond veelas. Maybe I was right to think, my cousin as my rival in fifth year.”

Harry was staring at his lips. “Cousin?” he asked absently.

“Oh, he means Luna, Harry. I thought I told you this the other night. Lucius’ uncle Lysander settled down with a muggle-born named, Lorcan Lovegood.” Narcissa said pulling Albus with her from the sofa.

Draco nodded. “Luna is my second cousin. I thought for sure you were shagging her in sixth year. I suppose it’s that mistake that got her locked up in the cellar at the manor.”

Narcissa patted his shoulder, “Yes but you and Lucius did a good job of protecting her.”

“Protecting her?”

Narcissa nodded. “Yes they made sure, that none of the other men touched her, they told them if they diluted her prestigious Malfoy-veela blood it would be a crime against all purebloods.” She sighed. “It didn’t stop them from using spells on her though.”

Harry bolted to his feet. “How did Rookwood feel about her?”

“Of course, he did, he like all of the prisoners with veela blood the best, but he never touched her. Father and I wouldn’t let him.”

Something clicked in his brain, Luna and Xenophilius were the only living prisoners Harry knew of that he hadn’t seen in the bullpen. He bolted out the door. Storming over to Cooper’s desk he snatched the official list of targets from the desk. Quickly he scanned for the Lovegoods. Neither of them were listed.

Harry waved over Cooper as he rushed to the room Viswan was interviewing a particularly sour-looking centaur in. He popped his head in. “I have a lead, I need you.”

Closing the door, he yelled across the room. “Senior Aurors, on me.”

“Ron, take Viswan, Moss, Farley, and Smith with you. Cooper, O’Phelan, May, and Thacker with me. Ron take them and bring Xenophilius Lovegood in for protective detail. Clear his flat. I’ll take my lot to Luna’s.”

Ron nodded. “This a tip from Malfoy?”

“Something he said gave me a hunch.” Harry motioned for the teams to follow downstairs to the flues. He muttered a quick ‘Accio cloak’ as they walked.

The flue’d to the fireplace in the lobby of Luna’s building. “May, O’Phelan, on windows.” Harry handed them the broomsticks from the Auror office.

“Cooper Thacker clear the hall and be ready to apparate in on my signal.”

Harry pulled the cloak over his head and stepped back into the flue. He reappeared in the fireplace in Luna’s flat. Stepping out his hopes of beating Rookwood there were dashed. Furniture was knocked over. A lamp was broken, and the sofa had long veela claw marks in the cushions.

Harry drew his wand under the cloak. He looked to the kitchen window to see May giving what would appear to be an empty room a thumbs up. Harry moved in further and unlocked the front door from the inside.

He would accio it open when he was ready for his aurors. Harry followed the trail of broken objects to Luna’s bedroom. He could only pray she was still alive and hadn’t been taken.

The door was ajar. Inside Harry could see Luna, immobilized on the bed with some kind of spell. She was naked. The look on her face was one of true fear.

Rookwood stood off to the side. A veela was kneeling in front of him. Her folded wings were the only thing keeping Harry from seeing all of her.

She nuzzled at the Death Eater’s crotch, in a way that reminded him of Draco.

She could be Luna’s older sister for how much they looked alike. “I got her, Augustus, I did good.” She moved for his zipper. “I should get a reward.”

He grabbed her, face and forced her to look at him. “Not after the bloody mess you made with the two whores. Your reward enough you’ll get in nine months.”

She palmed at him further. “Yes, yes, yes, Augustus, a chick! A beautiful hatchling! I can’t wait!”

Rookwood slapped her away. “Your impatience with the last one is why you don’t have an egg now!”

Harry waited until Rookwood had undone his trousers and dropped them to the floor. He’d apologize to Luna later, but he could see his wand in the back pocket. Harry stepped into the bedroom doorway and waved his wand towards the door.

There were two pops of apparition followed by the sound of the window glass shattering.

“ _Imobulus_!” Harry yelled flinging off his cloak with his wand trained on the veela. Thacker called out “ _Expelliarmus”_ at the same time O’Phelan cast a “Stupefy”.

A few moments later, May and Cooper called out clear from the rest of the apartment.

Harry rushed over to Luna. He moved to the side her head was turned towards. “Luna, can you hear me?”

The hope that was in her eyes told him she could, still, she blinked.

“Good. Are you hurt? Blink once for yes two for no?”

She blinked in quick succession.

He sighed in relief. “Okay good. I don’t want to move you just yet if you’re okay with that. I want to get crime scene photos.”

She blinked once.

_Merlin, he could hardly think of a stronger woman. Maybe his mother. She’d stood up to bullies and torture and still was the kindest witch he knew. Maybe if he hadn’t been so obsessed Draco, he would have loved her like that rather than a sister._ Harry would be sure to tell her later, but right now he just petted her hair and let her know it was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but plotty Chapter, I think the ginny, blow up wasn't as big as people were wanting, but oh well.


	6. Summer 2006 Part 4

Harry sat in the chaise sipping fire-whiskey. Draco would yell at him for drinking in his dressing room, but the Veela was fast asleep in the next room. He laid flat on his stomach with his wings spread over the sides of his nest.

The only sounds were the ticking of the clock and Draco’s steady breath. Harry watched the rise and fall of a lock of hair in his face. Normally Draco kept it in a loose ponytail while he slept, however, Draco had crashed shortly after their tryst.

Harry couldn’t sleep. When he had gone to his house to fetch clothes earlier, he failed to enter. Not from lack of trying, but his key simply wouldn’t turn the bolt. It had taken several minutes of trying before he realized Ginny had changed the locks.

Normally, Harry wouldn’t be drinking at five in the morning, but he’d had a bloody mess of a week. The thing with Jamie, then the fight with Ginny, the problems with the egg, Draco being arrested, and another fight with Ginny not to mention the workweek he’d had.

The capture of Rookwood meant that all of the Death Eaters that had escaped in 1997 were either dead or back in prison. The Prophet had celebrated the accomplishment with a front-page story that spread over several pages. Harry and Draco had celebrated by ordering takeout from a muggle restaurant. They had made two stops: there and the liquor store. Once back at Draco’s flat, they had eaten and gotten pissed before fucking each other’s brains out for several hours.

And yet here he was still drinking. This week reminded him of the war after Dumbledore had died. It was that same feeling as if nowhere was safe. Like he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It had taken years for that feeling to dissipate the first time, for normal life to feel like normal.

He supposed that was the problem with him and Ginny’s relationship in the first place. She was his safe harbor, someone who lessened the feeling. It wasn’t a healthy way to have a relationship. A healthy relationship was to have a person you could work through the hard times with, someone who you generally wanted to be around.

He looked over to Draco, asleep with messy hair. He never thought Draco Malfoy, pompous git extraordinaire would be that person. Hell, if he’d been told five years go he’d even be able to be in the same room without hexing him, he’d have thought that person was lying.

Harry vaguely wondered if Hermione still had her time turner. If he had known- really known, would he have married Ginny at all? It was a strange thought.

He moved to get up and walked from the bedroom into the hall. He ducked his head into the boys’ room. The three toddlers were curled up together wings and feathers spread in every direction. No doubt Draco would fret over their appearance in the morning.

He backed out of the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Scratching his stomach, Harry grabbed the kettle from the stove. Filling it with water he placed it on the stove and moved to contemplate his new coffee press. It would be a few hours before the morning Prophet would arrive.

Harry had been on the front page in one way or another every day this week. Typically, he hated being the center of attention, but with the focus being on his work as Head Auror, he found the articles tolerable. Well, he’d had found them tolerable ever since he and Draco had gotten the editor by the balls so to speak.

Harry took his coffee downstairs into Draco’s book shop, he hoped to find something interesting to read, while he waited.

He meandered through the large bookcases. Leather tomes filled the shelves; it looked like the kind of place Draco and Hermione could spend hours in. Even Neville would enjoy some of the volumes with detailed illustrations on plants. But there was little about antique books Harry found exciting.

However, in the back, Harry did find a book detailing old quidditch matches. It wasn’t long before he heard the post fall through the slot. Harry groaned as he stood up to get it. He wasn’t old but he certainly felt it with how this week was going. Merlin’s balls, he wasn’t even thirty yet how could he be so stiff.

He grabbed the stack and headed into the kitchen. The Prophet would arrive soon enough, but everything else could be sorted between Draco and Narcissa. There was a thick brown envelope that caught his attention. It was particularly interesting as it had his name on it.

Harry went to get his wand from where he had been sitting drinking. He waved a quick reveling charm over the package.

 _Well, it's not cursed._ Harry thought as he tore into the package. It quickly became apparent to him what he’d been sent.

The top of the page was official letter head from the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Matrimony. He read through the document, but he knew what the whole thing was getting at- his right to a solicitor, how long he had until a court date so on- Ginny had filed for divorce.

Harry dropped the parchment in front of his seat at the dining room table. He dropped to his seat. He wasn’t sure what it said about him that he was more worried about what Draco would have to say about all of this than the fact his wife was divorcing him.

Harry started fixing breakfast when Narcissa came down the stairs. Draco would rise soon after his mother. She placed a tea kettle on the stove as he pulled some bacon from the fridge.

“You’re up early.”

“I had trouble going to sleep with everything that happened this week.”

She hummed. “It has been trying for all of us. Although, I think you being here has been good for the hatchlings.”

Harry nodded. “I’ve tried, but mostly I just feel like I’ve only worked Draco up more.”

Narcissa started pulling china from the cabinet and chuckled. “My son is easily worked up where you are concerned- always has been. He is really just trying to impress you- he’s such a terrible flirt. Would you like some tea as well, dear?”

Her words took a moment to sink into his sleep-deprived and stress addled brain. “What-um I mean sure…Why does Draco think he has to impress me?”

“I’m sure he thinks you should already be impressed with him. But he’s always wanted you to be impressed by him. You can’t imagine how much he complained about Ms. Granger his first few years at Hogwarts. Then it was anyone you were remotely taken with.”

Harry opened the fridge to take out eggs. “I thought Veelas didn’t get jealous.”

Narcissa tightened her lips. “Not of sexual things no.” The kettle began to scream.

“How do you take your tea?”

Harry would figure out what she meant later if he remembered to ask Draco. “Um, just milk, thanks.” He handed the milk to her from the fridge.

Jamie came in a moment later, followed by Draco carrying Scorpius and Albus.

“Morning, Mother-Harry.” He said. Jamie came over and wrapped himself around Harry’s legs pressing his little face sleepily into the back of Harry’s knee.

Harry reached down and ruffled Jamie’s curls. “Sleep well, Chick?”

He nodded against his leg. Draco rolled his eyes at the nickname.

Narcissa leaned against the counter and sipped her tea, “Are you fixing the boys breakfast this morning, love? Harry’s already working on his.”

Draco hummed. “I think I’ll let Kreature deal with it. I’m confident he only wants to poison Harry.”

Harry paused with his own tea halfway to his mouth. “Oi, what do you mean he wants to poison me?”

Draco smirked and moved closer. He whispered into Harry’s ear, “He found out you made Jamie your heir and wants that sooner than later. He likes Mother better, though.” He gave Harry a peck on the cheek before walking out with the younger two hatchlings.

Harry turned to Narcissa who was smiling into her tea. “Er, do you think he’d like me better if I gifted him to you for Christmas?”

Draco yelled from the dining room, “Don’t be daft, Potter, her birthday is much closer.”

Harry rolled his eyes and cracked his eggs into the skillet. Kreature tottered in a few minutes later muttering obscenities about Harry. “Kreature, watch your mouth around Jamie!”

Kreature let out a humf, before turning to the little boy, “What would the young Master like for breakfast?”

Jamie grinned, “Ricket Muffins?”

The house-elf nodded. “Very good, sir, a proper choice for a growing Veela.”

Draco came walking into the kitchen a moment later. “Potter, what is this?”

If he was being called Potter, Draco was upset. Harry turned as he pulled the skillet from the heat and placed his food on a plate. He noticed Draco was holding the papers from the Matrimony department.

“Ginny has filed for divorce; it came this morning.”

“I can read you tosser, I meant why didn’t you tell me?”

“Draco, would you be more in a tiff than you are now if I had woken you?”

The Veela huffed, “This is important. She’s sighting you on unreasonable behavior, reckless spending, and keeping known heirs a secret.”

Harry just watched as Draco’s feather started ruffling; he knew the Veela was mad that he wasn’t upset.

“Clearly your head is as thick as your cock! It means- idiot- that they will examine our dealings and our children in a court!”

Harry blinked, “Er, um, I’m pretty sure Jamie is too young for them to put on the stand.”

Fire filled Draco’s eyes. “What do you think the public is going to think about an ex-Death Eater Veela, breaking up the Golden Couple?”

Realization washed over Harry. “But…I’m immune to Allure.”

“The fact that we have even tested this is not going to help their opinions!”

“So…um what do you want me to do, then?”

Draco folded his arms with a huff, “I assume you haven’t got a solicitor yet, so when you go today, we’ll stop by and have a little chat with Cuffe.”

Harry leaned back against the counter and shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth, “Okay so do you want to ask Hermione or your mom to watch the boys?”

Draco moved to the stove to pour himself a cup of tea before retreating to allow Kreature to put the muffins in the oven. “Oh, they are coming with us.”

Harry paused, “Wait, I thought you were upset because of the kids being in the spotlight. “

“Malfoys have always been in the spotlight. And now that you’ve captured Rookwood, what real Death Eaters are left out there?”

“I think just Courtly, and Smithers-“

“Proper Death Eaters, Potter. Those two barely have half a brain between them. And we both know as soon as our kids enter Hogwarts and their names are read, people will be all over them.”

Harry just blinked at him.

“I need to check to see if I have any Sleekeasy’s for Jamie’s hair!” Draco placed his cup on the counter and dashed from the room.

Harry walked from the kitchen to the dining room, only to find Narcissa holding a crisp copy of the Prophet, along the main headline was a smaller one which read, Ginny Potter Seen Visiting Solicitor’s Office. This was indeed going to be a fiasco.

Two hours later, Draco had each of the children prim and proper. Well at least proper for young Veela.

Jamie was already fussing and clearly wanted out of the robes. Draco had spent an hour alone on the boy’s hair and yet somehow, he still couldn’t get his curls to lay completely flat. He’d given up and let the top be curly.

Draco’s gray robes were made of some kind of light and shiny cloth.

“It’s silk, you uncultured troll!” Draco hissed at him as he straightened Albus’s robes, before telling Harry to go change.

Harry had first come down the stairs wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. Draco had taken one look at him and told him to go change. _They were adults going to a legal meeting, not teenagers going out on the town._

He really needed to go by and collect the rest of his clothes from Ginny. Most of the things he’d brought were just what he wore under his Auror robes. Everything he glanced at he had he knew Draco would disapprove of. All he’d really brought with him were t-shirts, jeans, underwear, and pajamas. It was summer after all; he didn’t exactly layer up under his Auror robes.

He laid all of his clothes out and stared. Draco was going to be furious at anything he picked. He was shit at clothing transformation spells, so that was out. A spark of genius came over him, Draco would hate it. Harry couldn’t help but smile as he changed clothes.

Harry came down the stairs once again to find Draco and his children completely ready to go.

“Potter, why on earth do you have your pajamas on?”

“Because you told me I couldn’t wear a t-shirt.”

A look of absolute disgust crossed his face, but Harry rolled his eyes and continued.

“They are kurta style, Draco, no one will be able to tell it’s a sleep one but you and Ginny. Look I have jeans on underneath, that makes it at least sensible.”

Draco huffed. “At least everyone will know you’re not under my spell because I’d never let you out of the apartment wearing that hideous shade of red.”

Harry looked down, “It’s Gryffindor Red.”

“Hideous shade of red,” Draco reiterated, “You’re an autumn not a spring, darker red would suit you better.”

“Er…I was born in the summer.”

Draco gave him a rather condescending look. “You are the worst bisexual man on the planet. How can you not understand color theory?”

Harry just stared at him. “I don’t understand the argument we’re having here. Do you want me to wear this or a t-shirt?”

Draco’s wings ruffled just a touch as he huffed, “I’m trying to make us look like a beautiful little family! Something others will both relate to and want to emulate.” He gestured to himself and the kids.

Jamie wore a miniature version of what Draco was wearing only in Slytherin green. The matching Falmouth Falcon onesies Scor and Albus were in weren’t nearly as smart Jamie and Draco’s robes, but they certainly were cute. Then, again Harry was pretty biased.

“But we already have a beautiful family”

“Just hold still,” Draco hissed and pointed his wand at Harry before muttering some spell.”

The shirt instantly turned darker and the wrinkles smoothed out. Harry examined his spell work. “All you did was turn it darker.”

Fire filled Draco’s eyes. Harry knew when to shut up, clearly, the Veela was nervous about just going out to the solicitor’s office. It was in that moment Harry realized, this was their first outing as a family, as a proper family. Draco who was fussing over every detail, Harry realized he simply wanted it to be perfect.

He reached out and hugged the angry Veela. “Draco, I know everyone judges us, but you’re perfect for me and so are our kids, who gives a shit what everyone else thinks. We can get through the day.”

Draco’s wings came to wrap around him as he hugged back.

The walk to the Ministery, unfortunately, involved walking through Diagon Alley to use the Leaky Cauldron as an exit onto the street. To say they garnered people’s attention as they walked through Diagon Alley was an understatement. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy walking down the street holding a child in one arm and both holding the hands of a toddler in-between them, was quite the spectacle. 

Several people blatantly stared, and others started whispering to each other. Harry had grown oddly used to people whispering and talking when they saw him, but it was strange for them to also be looking at his children.

Draco walked with his head high keeping his eyes either dead ahead or on their children. Some people were looking at Draco with disgust. It wasn’t a new development for the Veela to get such a reaction. But it was new for Harry to witness it.

He wanted to hug Draco or hold his hand, but that was impossible with their children in tow. Some of the on-looking crowd would probably faint.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron without much fuss from the boys. Mostly they just had a crowd of onlookers; luckily it was still early on a Saturday morning, so a limited number of people were out and about.

Inside the Leaky, Draco cast a few quick glamour spells to hide his and the kids’ wings, before they headed out into Muggle London. From there it was just a short walk down to Whitehall and the Ministry Entrance. It was- for Harry- becoming his typical morning commute.

Draco visibly relaxed while they walked through muggle London. Harry found it slightly strange as here, they were receiving far more looks of disgust from some of the older Muggles. They reached the red telephone booth and crowded inside.

Inside they were met by someone who looked vaguely familiar to Harry, but he couldn’t quite place him.

“Mr. Malfoy, good to see you again. Your mother sent me an owl earlier saying you would be needing the services of my office.”

“Bletchley, good to see you as well. However, it is I that needs your service but rather Potter here. I presume you have a certain standard of client, but with a referral from the Malfoys’ perhaps you can take someone so unrefined.” Malfoy smirked at Harry.

The man, Bletchley, tutted, “Bedding, Gryffindor’s Golden Boy, my-my how low indeed your standards have fallen.”

“Yes, well, I’m clearly still in my rebellious phase and refusing to settle down with someone respectable, such as yourself. Will you take him on or not?” Draco huffed.

He laughed before motioning towards the lifts, “Of course, follow me we’re on level eleven.”

Bletchley’s office was very posh. It reminded Harry of the Slytherin common room. Jamie immediately ran to the fish tank in the corner.

“Fishie!” He cried.

Bletchley knelt down beside him, “Like my aquarium, do you?”

Jamie nodded.

“Would you like to know their names?”

“They have names,” he turned to his dad, “Daddy, are we supposed to name our food?”

Bletchley looked horrified, to which Draco smirked, “No my love, we don’t. and those are Mr. Bletchley’s pets- not food, so you can’t have one.”

Jamie pouted. A receptionist stood up from the desk, “Champagne?”

Harry blinked, “This really is a posh place.”

Bletchley stood and straightened his robes. “We have high standards here, Mr. Potter. Both with our clients and with the number of cases we win.”

The smirk on the man’s face finally made him realize who he was, “I don’t seem to remember you winning that many quidditch matches against me.”

Bletchley narrowed his eyes, “I assume your wit is the only reason Draco, remains faithful to you.”

“It’s my not _favorite_ quality of his, but it’s definitely on my list of reasons not to smother him in his sleep.” Draco drawled as he leaned against the table and sipped his flute of Champagne. He watched the toddlers, Albus and Scorpius had followed after their older brother as soon as they were set down. They now stood with their little faces plastered against the glass.

“Aw Malfoy, I’m touched you have a list, I didn’t think you had more than one reason.” Harry placed a hand over his heart.

Draco’s eyes narrowed, “It’s a short list.”

Bletchley rolled his eyes, “Will you to quiet flirting for a few moments so we can continue to work on Potter’s divorce paperwork?”

That comment snapped them both back into reality. The receptionist came over holding several parchments. “These are just your standard client privilege documentation and formal forms of acceptance.”

Harry nodded and began to read over them. Bletchley snorted, “There’s nothing sinister in there, Potter.”

“Sorry but, um I do remember the Slytherins cheating a lot at sports. I don’t exactly trust you.”

“Says the man getting a divorce because he cheated on his wife with me.” Draco stared him down.

Harry wanted to bite back with something but what Draco had said was completely true. He straightened his glasses. “Well, would you sign something he gave you without reading it?”

Draco smirked and pressed his glass to his lips.

Harry turned back to Bletchley, “He has something on you, doesn’t he?”

The Solicitor crossed his arms, “He’s a Malfoy, he has something on everyone.”

Harry quickly scribbled down his signature on the bottom of the page before handing the parchment to him.

“Thank you, Mr. Potter. Now that you’re officially a client, could I please see the document sent to you.” Bletchley handed off the paper to his assistant.

Draco opened the nappy bag on his shoulder and pulled out the stack of parchments Harry had received that morning. He handed it over to Bletchley.

“Very good, and I will of course need your financial reports from Gringotts.”

“Er, what?”

“You know transaction statements and deposits and withdrawals. And of course, statements of property owned, it’s so property and finances can be distributed.” Bletchley said as he started flipping through the papers.

“Wait they can tell me how much money I make a year.”

Both Draco and Bletchley were quiet for a moment before Draco groaned. “Potter, are you telling me you have no idea what your annual income is each year?”

“Er, yeah.”

Draco rolled his eyes rather dramatically. “Your idiocy never ends.” He turned to Bletchley, “I’ll just have him go in a sign a release of information to you from the bank.”

“Splendid, that will make things go much more quickly.”

“You are the daftest man, I’ve ever met. How have you never requested bank statements, before?” Draco continued to berate Harry as they walked back up Charing Cross road after their meeting with Bletchley. You’re a grown man; how in Merlin’s beard have you survived this long? You don’t even know what your annual income is and you agreed to keep me up!”

Yet the moment he laid his hand on the door of the Leaky Cauldron, Malfoy’s complaints died. He knew he was trying to present a happy family. Harry hoped maybe they could for once have a civil conversation.

“Gringotts or the Prophet first?” He asked.

Draco hummed, “Gringotts, it should give Cuffe enough time to be afraid.”

Harry smirked. “Alright then.”

Somehow through the whole time they were at the bank, Malfoy kept his mouth shut. Mostly by pressing it into a thin line. As soon as the goblin helping them handed him the account book, he left the room to allow him to ‘look over everything’. Immediately, Draco removed himself from where he leaned against the wall and pulled the book from his hands.

“Oi!”

“Hush, I’m trying to make sure, our children will have an inheritance from _both_ parents.” Draco flipped through the pages until he landed on the dates in the nineties.

“July 31, 1991, Harry Potter makes withdrawal of…100 galleons. Interest paid 162 g 4 sickles.

August, Interest paid-September, interest paid” Harry tried to move the book so he too could look but Draco slapped his hand away. “7457 galleons paid from patents.”

“100. A hundred galleons in a whole year?”

Harry shrugged. “I only needed it to buy school stuff.”

Draco rolled his eyes, “You should have dressed better at least in school.”

The Veela flipped the page, before drawling his wand and spelling up his hair into a bun before using the wand as a hairpin. He ran his long fingers over the pages and continued to read.

Harry leaned against his own much thicker hands. It seemed like it had been so long since he saw this side of Draco; the side that wasn’t as preoccupied with appearances. It was the same one who would spend countless hours in his book shop caressing the spines of old books. He lost himself in pages so often. It was the same Draco that read their children fairytales at bedtime and made ridiculous voices for the characters. It was the same one that had thrown ash at him when they cleaned out the flue. _Merlin, he was so in love._

“Potter, did you only withdrawal money for school supplies during school?”

“It was all I needed. I did start spending more 3rdyear when we could go to Hogsmeade.”

Draco rolled his eyes and continued. “End of June 1996, interest paid- inheritance transferred from vault 711 to the sum- Who left you over three hundred thousand galleons?”

Harry pulled Albus into his lap. “Oh, that would be Sirius.”

Draco made a face, “So the Alphard branch of the inheritance went to you.”

“Your mom will get the inheritance she deserves. The ministry is working on getting her the Black fortunes that are tied up.”

Draco hummed and continued reading. He muttered to himself while he read. Harry would have been content to watch him all day, but the toddlers were bored. He pulled his wand and began casting fun little Charms to entertain them.

Scorpius was trying to catch the little red sparks Harry was making dance around their heads. Jamie was trying to knock them into his younger brothers and Albus kept trying to take his wand from him.

The adorable scene was eventually broken by Draco. “Do you realize you have you have 4.5 million galleons in your vault?”

“Er… not but that sounds about right.”

Draco stares at him. “You do realize now that the Lestrange’s property has been seized, a large portion of the Malfoy assets seized and Mother still being unable to access her portion of the Black vaults, you are the richest magical being in the British Isles.”

Harry stopped. “Really? That’s sorta brilliant. But I’ll happily hand the title back to your mother.”

“It isn’t the title I want.”

“If you want me to increase what I pay you we can figure that out.”

“I don’t want your bloody money, Potter.”

Harry wanted to ask about that, but Draco continued. “You’re the richest magical being and you’re going through a divorce! She could get half if we don’t figure out what all you’ve inherited, what was willed to you and what the two of you have earned. This entire book is going to have to be combed over. It could take months, not to mention Weaselette will get a fortune!”

“Er… If you’re worried about paying Bletchley for that long, I think I’ll be able to afford it.”

Fire filled Draco’s eyes; Harry settled in for a long scolding.

The Daily Prophet office was filled with the scratching of quills and type-writer keys clicking. When Harry and Draco walked in with their sons, the noise slowly started to die down as the reports noticed the story that had just walked in. They made their way over to the office with Editor inscribed on the door. Leaning on the desk of Cuffe’s assistant, Harry spoke, “We’re here to see, Cuffe. If he’s busy let him know who’s here.”

The next morning Harry walked downstairs to find the freshly printed Prophet laying on top of the mail. The headline read – Harry Potter-Secret Family with Draco Malfoy. The picture below it was when the reporters followed them to the Hoffin’s Pot pub, where they had lunch. It was quite a good picture. Harry was holding Scorpius and Albus on each knee, Jamie was sitting on the booth between him and Draco. Draco was leaning across the table watching Harry with the boys looking rather besotted with the sight.


	7. Fall  2006

Harry hesitated before he knocked on the door. It didn’t take long for Ginny to answer, she was expecting him after all. 

She leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed, effectively blocking his entry into the house. “Just you?”

Harry nodded, “I figured it would be the least awkward.”

She pursed her lips. “Maybe. You’re here for your stuff then?”

Again Harry nodded. 

Ginny’s eyes were narrow as she stared him down. “You’re not going to apologize? Beg for forgiveness or anything?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t see how it would do any good, your motion for a divorce made it clear how you felt.”

Ginny snorted. “You haven’t given two shits how I feel since you started fucking Malfoy.”

“Gin, that’s not-”

She tore away from the door. “All your things are in the spare bedroom.”

Harry followed her into the house and down the hall to the spare room. Sure enough, his clothes were piled on the bed. “Er...where’s my other stuff?”

Ginny raised a brow, “What is _yours_ will be decided on in court.”

“Come on, at least let me get my stuff from my Hogwarts days, be reasonable.”

Apparently, those were the wrong words to choose. “Reasonable? You think I’m the one being unreasonable, you’re the man who hid the fact that he had children with Draco Malfoy from me for years.”

“It’s not a competition, Ginny.” Harry continued to fold his clothes into a neat stack. 

It was quiet for a moment before Ginny spoke again, “Just tell me this, was there any hope for us after you had slept with him.”

Harry paused in what he was doing. “Gin, I slept with Draco before we ever got married. You seem to be under the impression this was about who I liked better. Well, the answer is neither of you. I didn’t ‘choose’ Draco over you, I chose my kids. And honestly, if you never wanted any or couldn’t without damaging your career, it was unfair of you to lead me on and let me think that it was something we could have _together_. “

Harry opened his bag and cast a shrinking charm on the stacks of clothes. Ginny was gobsmacked; she gaped at him before huffing and walking to the kitchen. 

He finished packing his things in silence. He did a quick ‘Accio’ to pull his Firebolt and ‘snitch’ from wherever Ginny had put them. He slipped the snitch into his pocket and miniaturized the broom before sticking it into his bag as well. 

Ginny returned about the time he placed the last of his clothes inside. “Have you been to see, Luna?”

Harry was surprised by the question. “Er...yeah… we visited her a few days ago in St. Mungo’s we introduced her to the boys- I know she’s your best friend but-”

“But she’s Draco’s cousin.”

Harry nodded.

Ginny sighed. “I suppose you and I are going to have to learn how not to bring up our past when we run into each other. Ron’s still your best friend and Luna’s still mine. And apparently, Hermione’s is now Malfoy’s. Of everything, that’s the most shocking.”

Harry smiled slightly, “It is isn’t it.”

“Honestly, what do they even talk about?”

Harry groaned. “It’s a nightmare, honestly, they will drone on and on forever about obscure spells and laws from books that are six hundred years old.”

Ginny forced herself to smile. “Maybe that will be my revenge then, sending the dullest garbage I can find with her to discuss with him.”

Harry closed up his bag. “You’re a menace, Ginevra.”

She narrowed her eyes. “The twins didn’t mess with me as much for a reason.”

“See you around?”

“Yeah, if not court first.” 

Harry nodded and lifted his bag from the bed. 

When Harry arrived back at Malfoy’s apartments with his things, Narcissa was in the study writing on some papers. The boys were all playing together on the rug. Draco sat on the couch next to it reading some papers. 

“Witch Weekly wants to interview us.”

Harry groaned, “Do we have too?”

Draco gave him a sharp look. “Yes, but we’re doing the one with the Quibbler first.”

He turned back to his papers. “I trust you got your things and you and Wealsettee remained civil.”

Harry dropped to the seat on the opposite end of the couch dropping his bag between them. “Er… sort of, I might have told her off a bit.”

Draco smirked. “Shame I missed that.”

“It would have been so much worse if you were there.”

“Exactly. The post came earlier. You now have a court date set.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were my assistant now, rifling through my mail and such. Could you make me tea later, too?”

Draco rolled his eyes, “I should start charging you for those services as well. Or get another house-elf.”

“Kreature would be insulted, you would suggest such a thing.”

“Doubtable, especially, not if you do gift him to mother.” Draco turned the parchment he was reading over. “You’re due in court in the middle of November.”

Harry huffed, “That’s well over three months away.”

Narcissa cut in from across the room, “You should have seen how long it took to get through the cases after the first war. Most of the cases you saw were of people who were already convicted once or people like Lucius who had previously claimed to be innocent, but their stories fell through the second time. The first time around each case took at least a week in trial. They were backlogged for nearly two years.”

“It was still plenty backed up after the second, as I recall. Harry, here was just too busy adding to the lists to notice.” 

Harry draped his arms across the back of the couch. “Er… by the way, which court date was set?”

“Your divorce you wanker, unless you have another wife you’re divorcing and need me to specify.” Draco rolled his eyes.

“It was an honest question, I’m pulling pins trying to get an arraignment dates set for Rookwood and Stoeva.”

“Is that her name? The veela that killed Ms. Lloyd?” Draco’s tone was cold.

Harry nodded. “I suspect the two of you will be called as witnesses. Since you knew her and can corroborate his victims’ testimony.”

Narciss hummed, “Perhaps not, Draco and I never actually, saw anything- we heard it. That is apart from Lucius’ frequent rows with him about Rookwood’s… _methods_ of torture. No, other than what we heard, we only know what Lucius told us.” 

Before anything else on the subject could be discussed, a bright red envelop flew into the room. The howler stopped in front of Draco and began screaming before he could do anything. 

“You filthy Death Eater how dare you-” before it could say anything else Draco pulled his wand and set it alight.

He placed his wand down on the end table and resumed his reading. 

Harry stared at the ashes as they fell. Albus reached for the flying specks.

Narcissa sighed and clicked her teeth “Second one today, it’s a shame people have nothing better to do with their time.”

“Have you been getting howlers often?” 

“Oh yes, many of your _fans_ are dreadfully furious that I would use my allure on you and break up such a happy marriage.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to make a statement about how I’m immune to Veela magic?”

Draco shot him a look. 

The Auror office was tense. Everyone now knew about his affair with Draco and his divorce with Ginny. The aurors and staff kept shooting concerned looks between him and Ron. It was as if they expected them to pull out their wands and start hexing each other. 

The opposing barristers were constantly in the office for one thing or another. All four of them were eager to re-hash every detail which led up to the arrest, especially Draco Malfoy being brought in as a suspect. It was those conversations that prompted even more awkwardness. Everyone simply seemed to be on pins and needles about the subject, particularly around Harry and Ron. 

The only person who didn’t seem bothered by any of it was Adelaide. Harry on the other hand was trying to maintain an air of professionalism, but Harry kept being reminded of what Draco had said about the younger man fancying him. He kept noticing little smiles and glances; He’d never noticed them before. It made Harry wonder how many other things he was oblivious to. Because, Merlin, was the man obvious. 

Harry had snuck into the office that morning using his invisibility cloak to get past the reporters outside in the lobby. They weren’t allowed to enter the bullpen, but they still crowded outside the door making it harder and harder for his Aurors to get to work in the morning. 

“Bloody Hell, they’re getting worse.” He’d huffed pulling the cloak from his head. Adelaide had nearly spit out his coffee in surprise and quickly stashed whatever it was he was reading in his desk drawer. 

He straightened his robes and tried to regain himself, “Sir, you’re in early.”

Harry tried to get his own hair to lay down a bit. “I have to be these days to dodge the mob, don’t I?”

Adelaide folded his hands on the top of his desk. “I suppose so, sir.”

Harry eyed him for a moment he was never so short with him. Harry took a step closer. He reached down and pulled open the drawer before Adelaide could stop him. 

The books he pulled from the drawer, were none other than his unofficial biography, by Rita Skeeter and the other by Romilda Vane. Harry raised an eyebrow as Adelaide buried his head in his hands in shame. 

“Er… you know these are complete rubbish right?”

He nodded. “I know how you feel about Skeeter.”

Harry dropped the books back in the drawer. “I don’t want to see those in my bullpen again.”

He nodded as Harry turned and headed for his office. Half-way there Harry had a thought. He paused and turned back to the young Auror. 

“If you knew I wouldn’t like it, why are you reading them?”

Adelaide hesitated but told him. “Well, you see, one of the reporters asked me if I knew if you and Mr. Malfoy had been seeing each other since you were at Hogwarts. She made a comment about something that was claimed in one of these books. So...I decided to investigate for myself?”

“Why in Merlin’s pants would they think that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, that’s why I’m reading.”

“And you didn’t think to just ask me?”

Adelaide flushed, “I’ve made it clear you don’t answer questions about your personal life. So I just… wondered.”

Harry crossed his hands over his chest, “Draco and I didn’t start seeing each other until a few years ago.”

Adelaide processed the information.”So you and him didn’t have sex in the girls' lavatory in your sixth year?”

Harry’s eyebrows shot up behind his curls, “No we didn’t, we tried to kill each other. Actually, Draco still has the scars on his chest from that fight.”

The other man averted his eyes, “Then why would that have been a rumor going around the school? I even remember it leaching down to my year.”

Vaswan walked by with a box of pastries, catching Harry’s attention. “Probably, because the two of us were obsessed with each other. Excuse me.” 

Harry chased after Viswan, or more precisely her box of sweets.

Harry walked to his office munching on his miniature treacle tart. Reginald Cruthbee sat waiting in on his couch. He nodded politely, “Good Morning, how are things?”

Harry quickly whipped at the corner of his mouth. “Fine, I suppose. What are you doing here this early?”

“I could ask you the same, but I think we both have the same reasoning. That horde of ghouls at the entrance to your domain, eh?”

“Don’t insult ghouls, by comparing them to those reporters.”

Reginald smiled. “Many people have the same opinion about my profession.”

Harry hung his cloak on the door. “I, for one, have no such opinion.”

“Which I appreciate. With all this going on I can’t help but feel there is an easier way for me to get the information I need without having to deal with the reporters.”

Harry dropped to his chair. “What do you need me to do, then?”

“Well, I think it's about time you have me over for dinner?

Harry froze. “Er...Reg...I’m flattered really but I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea here.”

The barrister started to laugh, “You can relax, Potter, I merely mean having me over for dinner, would be a great way for you, Draco, and Narcissa to avoid the reporters while I get the information I need.”

“Oh.”

“Not to worry Draco will be relieved not everyone wants to steal you away from him.” He stood. “Mind if I sneak out the back way.”

“By all means, avoid the Prophet.” 

Despite the run-ins with reporters each morning, Harry was elated to be overseeing mainly petty and non-violent crimes again. He was dealing with cases where the darkest thing he was dealing with was the importation of illegal potion ingredients and whatnot. In large his work hours were filled with paper reports from aurors and papers from reporters. Harry preferred the former. At least they didn’t pry into his personal life… for the most part. A few of the aurors tried to ask him simple small talk questions. How are the kids? How’s Draco? Things that were normal office small talk, but it was still strange for everyone to be so open with something Harry had kept from them for so long.

The questions didn’t really bother him per se, he just wasn’t used to including talk about being exhausted from changing nappies at 2 am being included in water cooler chat. For the most part, he tried to keep such y’all to a minimum. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his Aurors, but rather he remembered how Skeeter had gotten information in his fourth year.

Any Semblance of privacy he had went tits up when Draco got it in his head that he should start bringing him luncheon. Draco Malfoy walking with his head high pristine robes carrying a crock was certainly a sight.

Harry was standing next to one of his Aurors’ desks clarifying a report when he waltzed in. . Draco was impossible to miss. Harry stopped mid-sentence and stood. Everyone watched Draco approach, everyone seemed to be waiting for a clue from Harry on how to play off the situation.

“Draco? What are you doing here?”

“Carrying things for fun. What does it look like?” He said back sarcastically. 

“Er-”

Draco rolled his eyes, “I’m bringing you lunch, idiot. You said you have been working through lunch; we can’t have the savior withering away can we?”

He heard Cooper snicker behind him. 

Harry took the crock from Draco’s hands. “Thanks.”

“Of course, it's Duck al’Orange in case you wondered.” Malfoy tossed a lock of hair over his shoulder. “Don’t forget, the prosecuting Barrister is coming over for dinner again tonight.”

Harry opened the lid to peer inside the dish. “I know, I was there when it was scheduled.”

Draco leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “Have a lovely day then.” 

He turned and sauntered back out of the minister. He threw the doors wide open as he left. The reporters on the other side scrambled about trying to get a picture and ask him questions. 

Every one of the Aurors turned their attention back to Harry, before quickly turning their eyes back to their work. Harry felt his face grow hot. 

Across the room, Ron snorted, “Blimey Harry, Malfoy’s more of a house-wife than your real wife.”

Other Aurors stared at Ron in disbelief, before he and Harry were both laughing. 

“He’s definitely more high-maintenance. Wanna see if his cooking’s any better?”

“Mate, I’ve had Gin’s cooking, she’s my sister and I love her, but unless he cooked it with Firefiend, it’ll be better.” Ron laughed walking towards Harry’s office. 

Ron placed some duck onto his plate when Adelaide walked into Harry’s office. 

“Excuse me, sir. Cruthbee dropped this off for you; he needs your approval.” He handed him an official-looking parchment with a seal.

Harry took the parchment and unrolled it. 

“That smells delicious,” Adelaide commented.

“Sit down and have some Draco made plenty.”

Adelaide blinked, “You mean he had your house-elf make it.”

“No, Draco made it, himself,” Harry said off-handed as he examined the document His attention was pulled from it, however. 

Adelaide snatched Ron’s plate from his hands.

“Oi!”

“You can’t eat that.”

Harry rubbed his nose where his glasses sat. “Adelaide, I assure you Draco isn’t trying to poison me.”

“I know he’s not, but it would be completely inappropriate for Weasley to eat something Draco made for _you._ ” 

Ron and Harry shared a look. “Look just because I’m divorcing Gin doesn’t mean Ron and I can’t be friends.”

Adelaide huffed. “That’s not it at all! _Harry,_ Draco’s posturing.”

Harry leaned back, dropping the parchment to his desk. “Er? What?”

“He’s trying to court you. It’s how Veela attract their mates.”

Harry’s eyes were wider than his glasses. “He’s courting me?”

The younger man nodded. “Yes, it's… it's deeply personal to Veela folk. Sex is easy for us and can often be meaningless, but emotional intimacy and domestic things- well they are our way of being vulnerable. Malfoy would be extremely offended if you shared his gift with someone else.”

“He’s been making me breakfast every morning since Ginny and I separated.” He avoided Ron’s eyes. It still didn’t feel right with what all was going on. He didn’t want to make him choose sides. “Are… is there anything else I should watch for?”

Adelaide moved to sit next to Ron. He pushed a lock of hair from his face. “Nest Sharing is a big deal. When courting usual Veela want items from their potential mate in their nest. That would be the next thing to look for after publicly bringing you food.”

“Er...I always sleep in Draco’s nest, but he hasn’t been wanting little things from me for it.”

Adelaide shook his head. “He wouldn’t need to if you're sleeping there; that would mean it’s your nest as well without the introductory steps.”

He rubbed at his chin. “I need you to tell me everything you know about Veela courting.”

Draco quickly spelled up his hair as he stooped to grab Scorpius. The naked little boy was slippery from fleeing the bath. The door was spelled shut but trying to keep three toddlers in the bath was a nightmare. Normally he would wait for Harry or his mother to be able to help him, but with the Prosecutor returning for dinner this evening, Draco had far too many things to be doing. 

His mother was at the shops getting ingredients for dinner and would be discussing the menu with Kreature upon her return. Harry had yet to return home from work and would likely arrive with their guest in tow. 

It was a fight just to keep the three of them in the tub at once, much less _clean_ them. Yet somehow Draco managed to wash all of the three little buggers appendages with only minimal loss to the feathers on his wings and to his will to live. 

Just as he placed towels over Jamie’s head, Potter opened the lavatory door. Three very naked and very wet Veela hatchlings shot through their father’s legs and out the door. Draco groaned in defeat. 

“Er...sorry.”

Draco glared at him, “I’ll accept your apology in the form of getting them into clothes.”

“Right.” Harry turned and shuffled out of the room. Draco pulled his wand to spell away the water on the floor. 

Harry’s head popped around the corner before he could utter the spell. “I came in originally to tell you: lunch was amazing today and thanks. I should also say I think your hair looks good like that. you look stunning.”

And then he was gone again. Draco stood wand out, letting Harry’s words sink in. Smiling to himself, Draco busied himself with cleaning up their children’s mess.

Cruthbee arrived not half an hour later. It was just enough time for Draco to throw on some robes and navigate through to find how Potter had come along. 

Albus was sitting in the parlor with a sippy cup completely dressed except for trousers, Scorpius-the more docile of the three-was completely dressed eating a cookie. Draco said it was because his Malfoy genes were so strong. 

The doorbell rang. Distantly he could hear Jamie yelling and Potter yelling back. Draco headed downstairs to the ground floor entrance between the two shops. He opened the door to greet Cruthbee just in time for Jamie to fly through the floor above screaming. 

Draco sighed. “My apologies for Harry’s spawn. Jamie is his father’s penance for his own rebellious nature.”

The other Wizard laughed. “It’s fine my partner is home, with our own little demons.”

Draco stepped back allowing him to enter. He had to spread his wings against the wall to allow him room to pass. “Oh, you could have brought them, I’m sure it will be difficult to fix food and watch the children.”

Cruthbee shrugged, “I’ll feed her when I return?”

“Feed her?”

“My Majorie is a succubus.”

“Ah yes, I’m sure her feeding habits are not appropriate for the children’s eyes.” Draco motioned for him to ascend the stairs. 

“Quite. You would not believe how awkward Christmas dinners are with our parents.”

Draco smiled, “I’m sure it’s a true comedy of errors.”

They reached the landing and opened the front door to the apartment. Harry’s curls were even more unruly than normal, his glasses were askew and his robes were rumpled. But Jamie was dressed and throwing a temper tantrum at his feet. 

“Merlin, Harry, why didn’t you just body bind him?”

“Er...I figured you’d hex my balls off if I put a spell on him.”

Draco rolled his eyes, before pulling a wand and casting a few spells of refinement on Harry. “Honestly, I dress him every day. I know how difficult it is to even hit him with the spell much less get clothes on him.”

“Perhaps a few extra Auror’s around here won’t be a bad thing.”

“Aurors?” Draco turned to Harry.

“Er… about that. I haven’t had the chance to discuss that with Draco.” Harry motioned with his head to Jamie and his brothers.

Cruthbee waved him off. “Of course, I don’t have to have an answer tonight.”

“I appreciate your understanding.” Draco glared at Harry as he ushered the Prosecutor into the lounge.

“Oh Draco, I don’t mean to tell you how to parent, but perhaps given the...delicate nature of some of the events of this case, you could keep the children from overhearing.”

Draco hummed.”I take no offense, there are things Rookwood has done which I myself, do not wish to know of, much less have my hatchlings know of them.” 

He led his children into the kitchen to check on Kreature and his mother’s progress with dinner. Jamie was no longer crying but he was still pouting something fierce; while Scorpius and Albus’s sugar rushes were just beginning. The two were chasing each other around the dining room chairs. 

It was nearing seven o'clock when the house-elf proclaimed dinner was ready to be served. 

Draco walked back towards the lounge and knocked on the door. “Harry, Cruthbee, dinner is ready.”

Draco stepped back from the door a few moments later the two other men opened the door. They headed for the dining room, but Draco grabbed the crook of Harry’s arm. He waited for Cruthbee to be out of earshot before he shot. “Why would extra Aurors be in our home?”

Harry rubbed at the bridge of his nose just above his glasses before pushing them into place. “Cruthbee and I are in the process of finalizing the witness list. It came to my attention with this case that there are quite a lot of witnesses testimonials from experts for both cases. The problem is we don’t have enough safe houses or Aurors to house everyone separate. So I thought maybe since you're testifying, some of the witnesses could stay here with us?”

Something else was bothering Harry-Draco knew it, but he also trusted him enough to be left in the dark, “As sound as your logic is, don’t you think it would be upsetting to your witnesses if they were housed with a Death Eater.”

Harry snorted. “Somehow I doubt your relatives will take issue.”

“Luna?”

Harry nodded. “And her father and boyfriend.”

“We’ll have to rearrange a bit. The boys will have to stay in our nest with us, and I’d have to clean out the extra room.”

“But you’ll agree to it?”

“Of course, the trial won’t start for many months, but I suspect it will take some time, but family is family.”

A satisfied grin pulled at Harry’s lips before he leaned forward and kissed Draco on the cheek, “I’ll let Cruthbee know.”


End file.
